Home


Myers-Insole Local Learning is a not for profit Community Interest Company (C.I.C.) that was established in Bristol in 2005.

We are a small company consisting of two directors:
  • Peter Insole - Project Manager (archaeological education consultant).
  • Ruth Myers - Project Manager (teaching and learning education consultant).

logo.jpg thumbnail

Our main objectives are to:
  • Promote an understanding and appreciation of Bristol's heritage and culture through easily accessible educational resources.
  • Ensure that these educational resources will benefit children’s learning in accordance with school curricula and education policies.
  • Facilitate teaching by providing relevant resources that focus on the development of key skills and promote an enjoyment in learning.
  • Wherever possible, use a local area’s sites, monuments and relevant digital data as learning resources.
MILLCIC has been working with Bristol City Council, Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol Reference Library, Archaeological Officers and staff and pupils at local schools to develop learning resources that aim to develop key skills through the use of spatial stories linked to an area’s history.
The Downs 150 Project 2011-12

In 2011, MILL were commissioned by Bristol City Council to co-ordinate a community learning project about the 150th anniversary of the Clifton and Durdham Downs Parliamentary Act that secured public access to Downs in 1861. Part of the project was aimed at collecting oral histories about the Downs and using them as a basis for classroom activities. MILL went to the Downs with children from Burnbush Primary School, Stockwood and Christ Church Primary School, Clifton. Together with a local storyteller, Martin Maudsley, the children explored the history and landscape of the Downs. When they returned to their classrooms the children created their own boardgames that demonstrated their learning and the stories they had heard. To see the results of the project visit www.thedowns150.org.uk to hear the audio histories and download copies of the games.

Stokes Croft 2009-11

MILLCIC managed a three year community learning project for Bristol City Council. This project involved local schools, colleges and Fairbridge Trust to develop learning materials for an annual heritage trail in this deprived area of Bristol. Each heritage trail focused on a particular period of Stokes Croft's history and visitors were encouraged to collect guide books, newspapers and Top Trumps cards all created by local pupils and students. People were also able to join characters on tours of the area set in 1875 (2009, right), World War II (2010) or a Myths and Legends tour in the final year. For further details see the Stokes Croft section.

Tudor Trails 2007-8

During 2007 and 2008 MILLCIC ran a successful lottery funded project that introduced children from several primary schools to Tudor Bristol through a virtual web based trail and a walking tour with actors who took on the roles of specific characters from Tudor Bristol. During two seasons 18 classes from Years 3-5 from 9 schools visited the trails including one group of wheelchair users from Claremont Special Secondary School. The trails were also provided for two general public events and a group of home educators of primary school aged children.

Mock Digs 2007

As part of this same lottery funded project MILLCIC ran a Mock Archaeological excavation for Year 7 pupils. The Mock dig used archaeological evidence from a previous excavation to provide pupils with an experience of the nature of archaeological fieldwork. A portion of a Romano-British excavation was recreated with ditches, pits and post holes filled with loose material containing actual archaeological finds of Iron age, Roman and later date. Fourteen groups of pupils visited the site over a period of three weeks and excavated, recorded and interpreted the site for themselves under the guidance of a professional archaeologist.

MILLCIC have provided several In Service Training days to schools in Bristol to enable staff to make the most of their local learning opportunities within their immediate neighbourhood through historic maps and their own spatial stories.

MILLCIC have also provided a day at Castle Park with children from a number of North Bristol primary schools funded by the Gifted and Talented programme. During the day the children looked for surviving evidence of Bristol Castle and designed ideas to make the castle's past more legible for visitors to the park.

We can be contacted by email.