Latest news

DJ and music producer Nathan Dawe and Victorian fairground ride makers George Orton and Charles Spooner are separated in time by more than 100 years, but in this article, Elaine Pritchard shares why she thinks they have more in common than just a birthplace.   Recently I was invited to the annual model fairground show at Staverton in Gloucestershire where I gave a talk on Orton & Spooner . It’s always a joy to attend events like this because I learn so much more about fairgro

In this article we look at recent donations to charities in Burton upon Trent through the books Friendship, Love & Truth and Labour of Love . You can find out how to buy copies of these books and learn about an event in March 2026 that will bring together all three 'forgotten' stories featured on this website: Vale Rawlings; Orton & Spooner and Lily Thomas. This week the Vale Rawlings Project Community Interest Company made its first donations to Burton YMCA and SARAC sin

The Vale Rawlings book Friendship, Love & Truth , written by Elaine Pritchard, has been officially launched at Burton upon Trent public library. The book can now be bought, priced at £15.99, with all profits going to two charities, YMCA Burton and SARAC (Sexual Abuse Rape Advice Centre). Contact the Vale Rawlings project here for more details of how to buy your copy. The invitation-only launch was attended by groups and individuals who had contributed in some way towards th

We're looking forward to publication of our Vale Rawlings book Friendship, Love & Truth . Only 250 printed copies will be available to buy before Christmas 2025. So, we've decided to set up a Crowdfunder page so that people can donate to our Community Interest Company and choose a copy of the book as a reward. The Vale Rawlings Project CIC raises money for two local charities, YMCA Burton and SARAC as well as raising awareness of forgotten stories from Burton upon Trent. For

Vale Rawlings was a pioneer in the local trade union movement and a committed member of the Burton Trades Council. This month, the...

The cover for the new Vale Rawlings book We are delighted to reveal the cover for our book, Friendship, Love & Truth, The Vale Rawlings...

We're delighted to be taking an increasing number of requests from groups and organisations looking for local history talks and...

Support our CIC and enjoy good food and great company In order to make as much profit as possible for our two nominated charities, YMCA...

We've reached an important milestone in the journey towards publishing our book about Vale Rawlings and his life and times in Burton upon...

We are delighted to announce that the RMT, Burton No. 1 Branch, has joined us as a sponsor for 2025/2026. We are hugely grateful to our...

By Elaine Pritchard Raising awareness is as important to our project as raising money - and this week we have done a fair bit of both....

Today was the annual commemoration service at Staffordshire's National Memorial Arboretum to mark International Workers Memorial Day. It...

Our one-off performance of Strikers! - The Vale Rawlings Story, at Burton Town Hall last December was filmed live and we will be holding...

Can we find descendants of the 1914 Burton factory workers? Elaine was honoured to be invited to give a short talk about the Vale...

This week (Feb 24) marks a year since the formation of The Vale Rawlings Project Community Interest Company by Elaine Pritchard and Will...

We're excited by new opportunities to share the Vale Rawlings story with people across the Midlands. Tonight is Elaine Pritchard's first...

It's always a good day when a bit of research and reading around a subject uncovers another forgotten Burton story. This week I was...

The money from tickets sold for our production of Strikers! at Burton Town Hall last month has been handed over to the two town-based...

Did you know that you can book Elaine Pritchard to give a talk to your group, club or organisation about Vale Rawlings and his life and...

Every councillor on East Staffordshire Borough Council has backed a proposal to name a room after Vale Rawlings, just three days after we...