Posted on Wednesday 24th July 2024
(L-R): Mark Sutton, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Staffordshire County Council, Sarah English, Access and Engagement Manager at Staffordshire County Council, Lizzie Short, Education Coordinator at Staffordshire County Council and Victori
People have been voting for a name for the children’s mascot for the new Staffordshire History Centre due to open later this year.
Staffordshire County Council’s Archives and Heritage team handed the task over to the public at the annual Staffordshire County Show and on social media.
People were asked to choose from four names for the mascot, a Bagot goat, said to be Britain’s oldest breed and first found in Staffordshire.
A total of four Staffordshire themed names were put forward for the new cuddly mascot including Bromley, after Abbots Bromley, home of the real-life Bagot goats, Oatcake, after the popular Staffordshire delicacy, Bagnall, after the engine maker, and Lotus, after the famous Stafford shoe factory.
Once voting closed, the most popular name chosen by the public was Oatcake. Oatcake has been busy visiting local schools, and visitors to the Staffordshire History Centre will be able to spot the mascot in the new trails and games.
Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities at Staffordshire County Council said:
“We’re all incredibly excited about the project and it’s great that we’ll be able to showcase so much of our amazing heritage.
“Getting children interested in our history is really important and having Oatcake as the children’s Mascot and letting them choose the name gets them involved in the project.
“The Bagot goat is said to be Britain’s oldest breed of goat, with the first recorded account appearing in historical documents from 1389, when Sir John Bagot was known to be the keeper of the original herd at Blithfield, his Staffordshire estate in the English Midlands.
“We’re extremely grateful for the funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players and can’t wait until the centre opens later in the year.”
The new Staffordshire History Centre, on Eastgate Street in Stafford has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with a grant of £4,858,699. Due to open later this year, the project will incorporate Staffordshire Record Office and the heritage building that formerly housed the William Salt Library. A four-storey extension will allow for 50 more years of archives storage, while a modern exhibition space will give visitors the chance to explore the collections.
Running alongside the construction work and collections management is an exciting programme of outreach activities to promote the centre. Events in schools and libraries are all helping to raise awareness of the project and shape plans for displays and exhibitions ahead of the opening. Young people, community groups and focus groups have all supported the development of displays by sharing their ideas and choosing their favourite items.
In addition to The National Lottery Heritage funding Staffordshire County Council provided £2.1m and Stafford Borough Council has directed £250,000 of UK Shared Prosperity Funding towards the project.
People can keep up to date on the project blog here: Staffordshire History Centre
Watch Cllr Victoria Wilson and Education Coordinator Lizzie Short talk about the newly named mascot.