Andy Hutchinson meets Martin Hamilton from Leeds Civic Trust to discover the history of their Blue Plaque initiative.
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00:00They each tell a story which shapes the history of our city.
00:05What are they?
00:07Blue plaques commemorating people, events and buildings around your Leeds.
00:14There are more than 200 blue plaques to enjoy right across the city, many of which are hiding
00:19in plain sight.
00:20They're on buildings, landmarks, bridges and down alleyways.
00:25Let's meet Martin Hamilton, Director of Leeds Civic Trust, who are custodians of the blue
00:29plaque scheme.
00:30We've been running a blue plaque scheme since 1987, so it's nearly 40 years now, and the
00:35blue plaque scheme is really about commemorating and celebrating people, places, buildings
00:42and events that have a significance to the city.
00:45So it's a very wide ranging scheme, but it's all about really celebrating and remembering,
00:49telling the story of Leeds, I would say, that's what the plaque scheme is all about.
00:53We unveiled our 200th blue plaque at the end of 2024.
00:58We're now on 201.
01:02We're looking forward to the next 200.
01:04Now the public can nominate for blue plaques, so please explain the nomination process and
01:11how that works.
01:12Of course, so it's very straightforward really.
01:15We have a group that meets four times a year, and they look at applications submitted by
01:21the public.
01:22So on the website, the Leeds Civic Trust website, you can download a form, you fill it in with
01:26as much information as you have about the subject that you would like to be recognised
01:30with a blue plaque.
01:31This panel meets, they say yes, no or maybe, and maybe would be we need to do some more
01:35research, we need to get more information together.
01:39And then if we say yes, we then start the process of thinking about where it goes on
01:43the building.
01:44You need to have somewhere to put it.
01:46We think about who would be invited, what sort of ceremony we want, when we might do
01:50it.
01:51And then there's also the funding.
01:53And we don't expect the people nominating the plaques necessarily to have the funding
01:57in place.
01:58We can go out and try and find the funding through sponsorship.
02:01They nearly always are sponsored, but that's the process that we follow.
02:05And you know, so it's relatively straightforward.
02:07And the main thing is we're after ideas.
02:10You know, we have our own ideas, but to be honest, some of the best ideas come from are
02:16about people, places, buildings, events that we've never heard of.
02:19Just before I let you go, am I right in thinking that, you know, to get a blue plaque, you
02:24have to be deceased effectively?
02:25If you, yes, that's right.
02:26So we, the rule is you have to be dead.
02:31I guess you would want a certain amount of time to pass after someone's died before you
02:35actually do the, consider a blue plaque.
02:39But yes, that's right.
02:40So that's an important thing to consider.
02:42Blue plaques are a permanent reminder of the city's rich history and heritage.
02:48Some are faded and some are brand new.
02:50Either way, they each provide an opportunity available to all for people to reminisce and reflect.