Joint initiative to engage football fans in reliving memories of Hearts’ history

Hearts’ Heritage department is teaming up with Big Hearts Community Trust to engage football fans in reliving fond memories from the 146 years of history of the Gorgie side.

This week’s initiative will celebrate Hearts’ 2012 iconic Scottish Cup win against city rivals Hibernian. #WednesdayMemories is a joint initiative on Instagram offering engaging content associated with Hearts’ glorious games, iconic players and forgotten events from the past.

Every Wednesday, the charity of the Club and Hearts Heritage join forces to share on their respective Instagram ‘stories’ a series of quizzes, photos of memorabilia, recollections from fans and videos around a specific theme. The concept came from the vast volume of memorabilia available from the Hearts’ Museum archives and the many personal stories collected from Volunteer Hearts’ fans involved in Big Hearts’ Football Memories project.

Supporters are encouraged to get involved, share their own recollections, and discover lesser known facts about the Cup Final by visiting @hearts_heritage and @bigheartscommunity on Instagram.

Lianne Parry, Head of Heritage at Heart of Midlothian FC comments: “With our Club Museum and Heritage Tours closing down completely during Covid-19, we were keen to find new ways to connect with Hearts’ supporters online; to share stories, pictures and memorabilia and celebrate our rich history in the community”. “Since we launched #WednesdayMemories, the reception from everyone has been brilliant! We’re getting lovely messages from people sharing their own memories with us”.

Charlotte Cailliez, Engagement and Communications Officer at Big Hearts added: “Memories have this incredible power to connect people even when they are apart. Throughout lockdown, reminiscing about Hearts’ legendary players and games helped isolated people supported by Big Hearts feel part of something special.” “It seems fitting for our charity to team up with Hearts Heritage to explore further the 146 years of the Club’s history. By launching #WednesdayMemories on Instagram together, we aim to bring reminiscence opportunities to a younger audience.”