£20,000 grant to celebrate history of Gwenda's Garage - Sheffield's first all-women car repair shop

Sheffield’s first all-women car repair garage - which ran for five years in the 1980s - will be remembered with a musical, exhibition and public workshop using a £20,000 grant.
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Gwenda’s Garage was set up in Neepsend by Ros Wall, Annette Williams and Roz Woollen who used spanners and elbow grease in a male-dominated trade as the starting point for empowering a generation of South Yorkshire women.

Working there gave the trio the experience and passion they needed to teach and campaign, reaching thousands of women.

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Sheffield’s first all-women car repair garage - which ran for five years in the 1980s - will be remembered with a musical, exhibition and public workshop using a £20,000 grantSheffield’s first all-women car repair garage - which ran for five years in the 1980s - will be remembered with a musical, exhibition and public workshop using a £20,000 grant
Sheffield’s first all-women car repair garage - which ran for five years in the 1980s - will be remembered with a musical, exhibition and public workshop using a £20,000 grant
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Gwenda’s became a hub for feminist campaigns, rallying against Section 28, the legislation which aimed to criminalise the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality.

Now, Historic England has handed £20,000 to community interest company Out Of The Archive to bring the stories to life and create a lasting record.

They will work with Museums Sheffield on an exhibition and public workshop to memorialise the campaigns, to be staged in 2023, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the repeal of Section 28 in England.

Gwenda's Garage - Sheffield's first all women garage From top: Ros Wall, Annette Williams and Roz Woollen January 22, 1986.Gwenda's Garage - Sheffield's first all women garage From top: Ros Wall, Annette Williams and Roz Woollen January 22, 1986.
Gwenda's Garage - Sheffield's first all women garage From top: Ros Wall, Annette Williams and Roz Woollen January 22, 1986.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said the grant was to record a story in danger of being lost.

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He added: “The histories of castles and great houses and their inhabitants are well documented, but we know far less about our everyday heritage. From council estates, pubs and clubs, to farms, factories and shipyards, these are the places where most people have lived, worked and played for hundreds of years. We want to explore these untold stories and celebrate the people and places at the heart of our history.

“I’m excited to see the wide range of creative approaches and subjects proposed for Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories.

Gwenda's Garage - Sheffield's first all women garage. From top: Ros Wall, Annette Williams and Roz Woollen January 22, 1986.Gwenda's Garage - Sheffield's first all women garage. From top: Ros Wall, Annette Williams and Roz Woollen January 22, 1986.
Gwenda's Garage - Sheffield's first all women garage. From top: Ros Wall, Annette Williams and Roz Woollen January 22, 1986.

“These community-led projects demonstrate that heritage is all around us and accessible to everyone. They will highlight that wherever people live they are surrounded by historic buildings, landscapes and streets, industrial and coastal heritage that can help bring communities together.”

Historic England is sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

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According to Companies House, Out Of The Archive is controlled by Dr Nicolette Hallett and Valerie Regan and was set up in 2019.

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