Films documenting Corby’s history presented to Corby Heritage Centre

30 August 2024

A series of films showcasing Corby’s recent history has been handed over to Corby Heritage Centre by Paul Balmer and Judy Caine – founders of Corby training company HD Media CIC.

Since 2014 trainees aged 11 - 24 have been mentored by ex-BBC and BAFTA nominees Paul and Judy, alongside Oscar winning directors and producers brought as guests to ‘Corby Big Film Weeks’. Local young people have been given exciting ‘on the job experience’ enabling future careers in film, television, radio and webcasting.

The resulting 23 films document the best of Corby’s historical, cultural and artistic activity from 1585 to 2022. They include the history of Corby’s Pole Fair, the story of P.L.U.T.O (how Corby’s Men and Women of Steel helped win the Second World War), alongside more recent stories featuring the Corby’s Polish, Latvian and Scottish communities, the Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby Sculpture Park and Corby Community Arts.

ADRENALINE tells the story of how Adrenaline Alley evolved into Europe’s largest urban sports centre and Olympic training centre. ‘The Corby Arts Podcasts’ preserve the best of Corby’s recent arts heritage, including ‘Deep Roots Tall Trees’ and ‘Made With Many’. 

The collection can be accessed for showing at schools and community groups, as well as events and research.

We are very fortunate in North Northants to have a rich and diverse heritage with each town and village having its own unique history that generations to come will learn about.

As well as looking further back into history, it’s important that we also recognise and preserve our more recent history for future generations. With this in mind, I am extremely grateful for this exciting digital archive that has now been handed over to the team at the Corby Heritage Centre.Cllr Helen Howell, North Northamptonshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism

We are delighted to have been asked by NNC to collate this important collection of films for future generations to enjoy. A great deal of effort went into each film not only from an historical and research point of view but also ensuring that the technical standards are world class. Coming from a BBC background and having won 9 international awards for our work we felt a great responsibility to pass this standard on to the next generation of filmmakers. We are incredibly proud of what our young trainees achieved and hope they enjoy sharing their work with their children and grandchildren.Paul Balmer and Judy Caine, Directors at HD Media

More information about the Corby Heritage Centre, as well as culture, tourism and heritage across the local area, is available on the Discover Northamptonshire website.