News! Finalist for an award!

A red logo that reads: Museums Change Lives Awards 2022
Award finalist

We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the Museums Change Lives Awards 2022. The Awards celebrate the achievements of museums that are making a difference to the lives of their audiences and communities across the UK.  Founder Diana Foster has been recognised for the Radical Changemaker Award:

The Radical Changemaker award recognises the achievements of an individual in promoting one or more of the themes of the Museums Change Lives campaign in their museum.

Museum Association

‘Diana’s work in founding a community museum and living memory project has impacted Somers Town, Camden’s sustainable development at a time of uncertainty and encroaching gentrification. She worked to preserve local identity and memories in a place of radical reformers; where innovative social housing projects took place and radical thinkers such as Wollstonecraft and Padmore lived. She has campaigned tirelessly to promote this history and an area’s sense of place, and the museum aims to become a site of social justice: a community hub as well as a repository of memory.’

Diana will attend this year’s awards in Edinburgh on Thursday 3 November as part of the Museums Association’s annual conference.

To view the shortlist for the MCL awards 2022 please see the MA website.

Here’s a review of our activities over the last year…

Co-design with young people

The parklet influenced by local history was a collaboration with CSM/ Camden Council, hosted a retirement party for ex-councillor Roger Robinson – here with wife Maureen, Slaney Devlin and regular Dave Hoefling

Art in everyday life

Contributions from all for our epic outdoor mural over 20 panels!

July Somers Town Festival

The People’s Museum welcomes Ben and his bookstall.

Campaign to save working class heritage

Local Jane grew up in the estate where this ‘finial’ stood – Gilbert Bayes working class heritage

Building a community library

Oustide the museum we buy from a bookstall to build our community library inside

Upcycling – screen printing

Printing images from local history – here International African Opinion. Free classes.

Community dinner – decolonising!

June 2022 outdoors for the London Festival of Architecture – a dinner using local cooks

Mural painting for all summer 2022

Four artists /Five Saturdays in June/ July/ open to all

Kids activities

All joined in painting the Somers Town Mural in Phoenix Road – on Crick Family Day

Guided talks & walks

Taking part in June 2022 London Festival of Architecture and Open House London. Steve McCarthy of Hidden Walks

Opening event 2022

A community party in to mark Opening In May 2022

A community hub

Locals feel welcome

Pearly Queen singalong

Pearly Queen Diane Gould and Dave lead the singing

Walk for North London Cares

We raise funds for local Siobhan Bradshaw to complete her Camden Guide training

Upcycling a t shirt

Free Screen printing in summer 2021 using local history motifs

Jellicoe100 performance

An 100th anniversary theatre production of ‘Jellicoe’ life December 2021 at St Pancras Old Church

Keys to our premises 2021

George Sharp cuts the tape – we’re ready to begin work! November 2021

Radical Screen printing!

T-shirts bags and more…summer 2021

Woven Together communal art

A collaboration with textile artist Joygun Nehar to produce a community artwork of names.

Museums Change Lives Awards


The awards have four categories, including a new Reimagining the Museum award, recognises the best example of a museum using decolonising practice to recognise the impact of the legacy of empire and slavery in any area of its activities.

The Best Museums Change Lives Project award recognises the best project in the past year that reflects one or more of the themes of the Museums Association’s Museums Change Lives campaign: Promoting Health and Wellbeing; Creating Better Places; and Inspiring Engagement, Reflection and Debate. 

The Best Small Museum Project recognises the best project at museums with an annual turnover of less than £320,000. 

The Radical Changemaker award recognises the achievements of an individual in promoting one or more of the themes of the Museums Change Lives campaign in their museum.