Welcome to the Autumn 2021 edition.

  Photo credit Halima Malek

As usual, September was exciting as we played a full part in the annual Gloucester History Festival, particularly the City Voices community engagement strand. This tapestry was created by two sewing groups who came together weekly at the Heritage Hub to depict what was important to them about Gloucester’s heritage.  It featured at our Women’s Voices partnership event on 5 September and was on display during the Blackfriars Talks.  A tour and follow-on project are currently being planned. We’re delighted to report that the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England have agreed to fund the City Voices programme over the next three years so we look forward to many more fruitful collaborations.

To get a flavour of this year's festival and watch/listen to events that are still available visit www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk/city-voices-2021/ 

October is Black History Month. To celebrate, our co-commissioned exhibition ‘History Her Story Their Story Our Story’ will open in Gloucester Museum on 16 October, the Archives’ own mini on-line exhibition will be available at the end of the month (click here to read more about the project) and we have contributed to a countywide website www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bhm-2021/

Finally, we’re very keen to welcome more of you back in person to undertake research on site. From Tuesday 18th October we’re increasing capacity for pre-bookings and re-introducing twice daily production runs at 10am and 2pm. However, for the best results, we still encourage you to book your documents in advance. Full details on how to make a booking and apply for an ARA Archives card are available on our website under the Preparing to Visit section. And for your comfort of mind, please be aware that we continue to implement coronavirus measures for the safety of all – including wearing face masks when moving around, frequent hand washing and access to hand sanitiser.  We look forward to seeing you soon.