Simon Clarkson, Supporter Liaison Officer and member of the Carlisle United Heritage group, shares the story of the coming together of different groups in the Backing the Blues project to save and display the club’s heritage.

What was the Backing the Blues project?

Backing the Blues was a community heritage project that celebrated and preserved 120 years of Carlisle United’s history through exhibitions, storytelling, workshops, and collaborative activities.

How did it all begin?

A few fan volunteers (Carlisle United Heritage Group) met once a week to sort through fan donations. Covid really saw donations spike as fans had time to sort through cupboards and lofts. Once we started publicising the donations, more and more rolled in. Because the club had lost a lot of memorabilia in the 2005 and 2025 floods, very soon we could not cope with the volume. The club were successful with a National Lottery Heritage Fund bid of £95,000 in 2023 that changed everything.

Who did you create partnerships with?

Carlisle United FC, The University of Cumbria, Tullie Museum, Carlisle United Community Sports Trust, and the City Council.

The timing was perfect for Tullie Museum and they led in the early stages as we shaped the ideas for an exhibition. They were going through a major refurbishment and opened one gallery in July 2024 for Backing the Blues. The exhibition ran through to November and attracted almost 9000 visitors.

The project brought together fans, students, volunteers, and residents. Exhibitions, workshops, and heritage activities helped preserve and share 120 years of the club’s history. It shows what can be achieved when organisations with shared values, enthusiasm, and commitment come together for the benefit of their communities.

What’s the best / most unusual memorabilia find?

There were so many great donations that ranged from a 1950s turnstile from the ground to a 1960s rattle, lots of medals and rare programmes from the 1940s.

What role did the fan volunteers play during the exhibition?

Volunteers shared their knowledge with the exhibition curators and their memories helped shape the project. They acted as gallery guides to add significant value for visitors. Many families of former players were provided with material that they had not previously seen. Archive training was provided by experts, to empower the fans to catalogue, record and store the archive appropriately.

What happened after the exhibition?

We took parts of the exhibition around the city to community centres, the market, and the cathedral. After that, our focus has been on archiving but there have been lots of opportunities for us to showcase the archive with displays at events, on matchdays and a pop-up exhibition at the university campus where the archive is based.

What are the plans for the future?

The long-term plan is to have a museum at Brunton Park. Until then we have plenty of work to do in archiving and hosting visiting groups. Winning a Sporting Heritage Award recognised our efforts to preserve, celebrate, and share the UK’s rich sporting history within our community. It shows what we can achieve when people come together through sport to inspire, empower and make a difference.