Roots and Futures Exhibition and Drop-in

Roots and Futures is running an exhibition and drop-in session at the Sheffield Winter Gardens from 18 to 21 October, with the doors open 10am to 4pm each day. It's part of the Off the Shelf festival, so if you're around the city centre that weekend, it's an easy one to pop into.

To get a handle on what it is, it helps to know what Roots and Futures does. It's a project based at the University of Sheffield that works with communities across the city, using histories, heritage and stories to champion diversity. The work they do comes from research that spans creative consultation, local project delivery and antiracist policy activism. It's not just an academic exercise; they contribute to the city's cultural and heritage strategies, and they put communities at the centre by co-creating new archives, anthologies and resources. The exhibition is a way of bringing that work out into the open, where you can see the results of those collaborations for yourself.

Because it's a drop-in, you don't have to commit to a specific time or a full day. You can wander in whenever suits you between 10am and 4pm, take your time with the display, and head off again. If you're already in town for other Off the Shelf events, it fits right in. If not, it's a standalone visit that doesn't take up your whole afternoon.

It's free to attend, and there are no tickets needed, so you can just turn up. The exhibition runs from Sunday 18 October through to Wednesday 21 October, 10am to 4pm daily at the Sheffield Winter Gardens.