Hello all,
My name is Michael Lambert and currently I am undertaking research sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council about social intervention in the Northwest since 1939.
A key element of this - and sponsored by the successor organisation to the Community Council for Lancashire which was involved with Brentwood, Community Future (
http://www.communityfutures.org.uk/) - is researching the history of Brentwood.
My supervisor is John Welshman, currently at the University of Lancaster (
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/history/profiles/john-welshman) who in 2008 wrote an article entitled "Recuperation, rehabilitation and the residential option: the Brentwood Centre for Mothers and Children" which did some preliminary work into the archives and history of the centre. As part of my research I am to produce an "official history" for Community Futures about the centre and incorporate the experience there as part of my wider research.
Currently the archives for the organisation are held at the Lancashire Record Office in Preston which I am working with but something that is not included is how people experienced the centre. I was hoping that I might be able to chat to, or interview the people in the posts who have mentioned staying at, or involvement with, Brentwood. I hope to be able to your experiences to provide an extra dimension to the main source material from Brentwood itself. I am hoping with individual case histories I may be able to build a much better history of Brentwood.
If anyone would be interested or willing to chat or be interviewed about their time at Brentwood, or know anyone who might then don't hesitate in contacting me. Any assistance would be helpful and I would be very grateful.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
Michael Lambert
