Interview about the Toxteth riots with Lord Heseltine

Two Sixth Form students were selected to travel to Banbury, Oxford to interview Lord Heseltine as part of an initiative organised by the Drama and History departments, focused on gathering oral testimonies from people who played a role in the events which unfolded in Toxteth in the summer of 1981.  Lord Heseltine was made ‘Minister for Liverpool’ in the aftermath of the uprising and was responsible for developing the Albert Dock and the Garden Festival. This was a fantastic opportunity, and we feel hugely grateful that Lord Heseltine for giving some of his time to contribute to this project. 

This project focuses on developing relationships across young and old people in Merseyside as they share their experiences on race and issues they have faced. It will develop understanding and empathy across the community and help them to build future positive, strong relationships. We have the opportunity to hear from the people of Toxteth as they talk about what happened in 1981 and make links to today. Places/spaces will be improved as areas will be more inclusive and understanding of each other and open to inclusion and an understanding how they can encourage a diverse audience. Young people will develop life skills that will help them in the future to achieve their potential, they will have a greater sense of their local community and how racial issues have impacted in the past and how they can help to avoid this in the future.