On Monday 2nd November 2020, Hatters’ Heritage launched a new website aimed at showcasing the heritage of Luton Town Football Club from its origins in 1885 to the present day.
Eventually, the website will publish every page of every programme in our collection, every photograph, every match report of every game played home and away, along with a large volume of memorabilia. In addition, there are a variety of ‘Features’ relating to the rich history of the Club.
Hatters’ Heritage was formed under the chairmanship of Club Historian Roger Wash in 2018 to encourage the preservation and appreciation of the heritage and history of Luton Town Football Club. The volunteer run charity was awarded funding for the digitisation of an archive of over 35,000 items which is designated ‘at risk’ by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Roger explained the project further:
‘The digitisation of the collection will take many years, but we are kicking off by publishing on the website two iconic seasons, 1970-71 and 1981-82, where visitors will find complete sets of programmes, match reports and action photographs together with player profiles of all those who took part. All match line-ups back to 1885, together with goal scorers and attendances (where known) are there too! We’re very grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this possible.’
Hatters’ Heritage will soon publish several more seasons which are almost ready to upload to the site and it is the intention of the team to add items on a regular basis so there will always be something new for supporters to look at as the site develops. It’s a must for anyone with an interest in Luton Town FC.
The ongoing project has only been possible thanks to the amazing support of volunteers who have given their time generously to begin the process of digitising the collections in the archive. The volunteers were also instrumental in supporting three Family Roadshows earlier in the year, when supporters of the club were asked to bring forward their own souvenirs and to share their memories for posterity on the website.
Watch our interview with Roger on our YouTube channel now:
Roger Wash is keen for other willing and able volunteers to join the growing team saying:
‘Our eternal thanks go out to the volunteers who have diligently catalogued, scanned and photographed items from our archive but we are always looking for more help. If you feel you can assist please contact us using the e-mail address shown on the site’.
Supporters and visitors are also being asked to contribute further to the project by sharing their Luton Town stories as part of ‘Hatters’ Tales’ which runs up to 15th December. Contributors wishing to take part should send a brief write-up and an associated image to: enquiries@hattersheritage.co.uk or via the dedicated Twitter and Facebook accounts accessed through the website.
Luton Town FC Chairman David Wilkinson said:
‘Having been a member of the committee I am well aware of the enormous amount of time and effort Roger (Wash) and his team have put in for this project to reach this stage. It is a magnificent achievement that the website is now online and I’m proud that it will be one of, if not the, most comprehensive heritage sites in the Football League. It will take some time for all the data to be uploaded, but I hope you will all enjoy using the website to delve into the history of our wonderful club.’
For further information or photographs, please contact:
Roger Wash – roger.wash@ntlworld.com or on 07771 753206
Stephen Barker – history@stephen-barker.com or on 07775 974976
