Military Families at Melton Carnegie Museum
Exploring Home Through Military Family Experiences
As part of the Making Leicestershire My Home programme, Melton Carnegie Museum is launching a new project exploring what it means to grow up in a military family and how military communities contribute to the identity and heritage of Melton Mowbray and Leicestershire. We recognise that the meaning of family is different for everyone and are keen to hear from people with a wide range of experiences and connections to military family life.
Melton Mowbray is home to an active military community, including the unique Defence Animal Training Regiment (DATR), the only regiment of its kind in the UK. As families move to Melton Mowbray from across the country and beyond, they bring with them a wealth of experiences, perspectives and stories that enrich local life.
Shaped by Military Families
From the very beginning, military families will play a central role in shaping the project through an advisory group. Working alongside an experienced artist that will be selected by a panel including those with a military background, participants will explore themes such as:
- What does “home” mean to military families?
- How do children build a sense of belonging when moving between places?
- What experiences of military childhood should be recorded for future generations?
- How do military families contribute to the cultural identity of Melton and Leicestershire?
The project will be shaped by children, young people and adults from military families, who will become curators of their own stories, helping audiences explore home, belonging, movement and identity through the experience of military childhood.
The project will also work closely with colleagues from the Leicestershire Communities Team, who are delivering their own Armed Forces initiative, Mission Ready: Relocation Made Simple.
Get Involved
Are you part of a military family, or do you have experience of military childhood? We’d love to hear from you. No special skills are required, just your experiences, ideas and enthusiasm.
To find out more or express your interest, please contact Steph at: culture@leics.gov.uk
From Lived Experience to Museum Exhibition
The stories, memories and creative work developed through the project will form a fully co-created and co-curated exhibition at Melton Carnegie Museum in Autumn 2027. Hosted in the museum’s temporary exhibition gallery, the exhibition will showcase the experiences and contributions of military families in innovative and engaging ways. Alongside traditional displays, we will explore opportunities for digital content and interactive elements to help bring these stories to life for visitors.
Building a Lasting Legacy
Through this project, we aim to:
- Create a lasting record of contemporary military family life as part of Leicestershire’s heritage.
- Ensure military family experiences are represented within the county’s heritage collections and records.
- Develop meaningful, long-term relationships between the military community, Melton Carnegie Museum, Culture Leicestershire and the Communities Team.
- Support military children, young people and their families to develop skills in research, storytelling and curation.
- Deliver a fully co-created and co-curated exhibition that celebrates the voices and experiences of military families.