Living Links Scribe for End of Project Event – 8 March 2011

On the 8 March Living Links Community Archives Project held an end of project celebration event, which provided a chance to celebrate the achievements of the project as well as evaluate its strengths and weaknesses and look to the future of community archives support once the project had ended. To capture the day a creative scribe was employed and these are the results.

Living Links has worked with various groups of people:

• History groups
• Youth groups
• Community groups
• Cultural groups

Group Spotlight 1 – LTVAS

The whole thing kicked off in Romsey in the winter of 1973. One of the first projects they got involved in was the history of pubs in which they researched local pubs for a year and then attempted to write their findings. However so much keeps being found there is not yet a conclusive account! Living links told them how to archive photographs properly, how interviews and findings can be conveniently indexed, help them to be accepted as part of the community – started running guided walks and talks.

Group Spotlight 2 Penton Players

They found out amazing things about their areas through the archives and with the help of a professional actor/director to turn them into a dramatic work. The real success of the project was providing people with a sense of place linking the past and present. In between sections they bombarded the audience with facts.

Group Spotlight 3

It’s difficult to engage with the concept of heritage as they don’t have a link with the past. We were changing young people’s perception of heritage before and after. Creative artistic forms used throughout the project enabled young people to be involved and relate to their subject matter.

Group Spotlight 4 Hayling Island Sailing Club

Putting together an exhibition of artefacts and memorabilia from the history of the Club. The display cabinets meant that people were able to view the archive material on a more permanent basis. They have had four major exhibitions each targeting a different age group and different subjects within the history of the club.

Group Spotlight 5

The group started two years ago to offer help support and advice to Nepalese people living in the area. Showing members that their history is important and valued in the community. The archives were collected and photos were scanned and given back to members. The findings were gathered together for an exhibition that will be touring Hampshire.

Jack Latimer – Key Speaker

By creating real life relationships people can connect with their archives. Monthly meetings in a regular place increases the feeling of community. For successfully websites use ready made material, a straight forward title and get volunteers interested as a group. There’s a lot of free software available. Digital archives are less easy to damage or destroy if copies are kept in separate locations.

Discussion of Project Outcomes

Ambassadors courses were great, but needed more networking opportunities. Peer visits and hearing from groups who have successfully created archives worked really well. The tools that are coming out from a digital age are helping reduce costs. Smaller scale sustainable activities can be carried forward. It doesn’t matter what people are recording as long as they are capturing the past.

The Future of Community Archives Support

The best way to keep archives alive is through forming and building on relationships in communities. Hampshire Archives Trust has donated a pot of money for the next three years. We will take forward sharing through networking and social media, community stakeholders and regular meeting places, annual meetings, newsletters and events to share ideas, Archive Ambassadors, membership of Hampshire Archive Trust, a community use scanner, exhibition for loan.

“The true value of archives are what they mean to people and the stories they tell.”