Hillingdon Council is hoping to better understand the local community by asking people who live in the borough to send in photographs and descriptions of five items that tell their story.

The ‘This Is Me’ campaign, led by the Hillingdon Museums, Archives and Theatre Team, aims to present the items and share residents’ stories in order to provide a better insight into the history, heritage, and contemporary context of those working and living in Hillingdon.

The photographs will be posted online and, at the end of the project, the objects will hopefully be displayed in a touring exhibition through Hillingdon.

Lara Waterfield, 26, who volunteers at Hillingdon Theatres, decided to contribute to the campaign.

She said: “I thought it was a really nice way to stay involved with the community. It will become a part of the community’s history, and it’s sweet to see what things are important to people.

“I think especially now, being at home so much, campaigns like this make us appreciate the things in our life even more.”

Waterfield chose items that meant a lot to her as a child, but also still remain important to her years later.

She opted for her cat, a theatre poster of Billy Elliot the Musical, her first Tottenham Hotspurs shirt, a few of her favourite classic novels, and her beloved childhood toy.

Fjóla Stenning, who is organising the project, said: “Items can be anything important to you - something that tells your story, whether it be a toy, a book etc.

“The collection is small at the moment, but we’re hoping to grow it – and every single one we have so far is really lovely. It’s great to find out more about people’s stories.”

You can find more information about the campaign here and here.