Thank you to the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives
Making Gloucestershire Heritage Hub a reality
We are very grateful to the many organisations and individuals that have supported the 'For the Record' project that's allowing us to set up Gloucestershire Heritage Hub. Our Head of Archives, Heather Forbes would like to acknowledge them in turn, beginning in this issue with a special thank you to the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives who have been journeying with us from the onset.
Heather Forbes, Head of Archives
Thank you, 'Friends', for your support
Our new Community Heritage Development Officer, Sally Middleton shared a quote that struck a chord with us all the other day: ‘Volunteers are unpaid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless’ (from The National Council for Voluntary Organisations’ conference, 2016). And with the priceless role of volunteers very much in mind, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives for their key role in supporting the ‘For the Record’ project. Here are some examples:
Fundraising
The Friends kicked off their major fundraising efforts, initially needed to secure match funding for the crucial stage one bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2014, with a sponsored marathon. Since then the Friends Fundraising Committee has worked really hard, submitting a variety of funding bids and generating income to make the project plans a reality. The building work is now fully funded so we’re currently working with them to raise monies for the furniture and fit-out, and for the activities to be delivered at the Hub once the new facilities are up and running. I’m particularly grateful to fundraising committee members Stephen Haygarth, Clive Andrews and James Hodsdon, the OS map group, and all Friends who have supported the project with individual donations and/or supporting Friends’ events.
Developing Gloucestershire Heritage Hub
The Friends also play an important role on the 'For the Record' Stakeholders Advisory Board, which has been meeting every couple of months since 2014. Represented by the Chair of the Friends, initially Stephen Haygarth and now Clive Andrews, they've made valuable contributions to discussions around plans to develop the emerging Gloucestershire Heritage Hub community, including decisions about the Hub building, branding and website, and this e-newsletter. Along with other board members, they play a vital role in ensuring the project provides maximum benefit to our partners and those wishing to use archives.
Friends are also helping us to make the right decisions about the new Heritage Hub facilities. Most recently, we were very glad to have volunteer 'buddies' Liz Jack and Maureen Anderson with us when we were testing sound-insulated seating for people accessing Audio-Visual records or holding one to one conversations in busy parts of the Hub. You can read more about this at https://gloucestershirearchives.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/blogging-a-building-2/ And, as we move forward with the Hub fit out, we're grateful to have the Friends on board with plans to develop displays that will enhance the visitor experience. These include a wall mural to acknowledge the financial contributions that have helped to make the Hub a reality, the future donations that will help us to keep on developing it, and the key role of the Friends in making all of this possible.
Many, many thanks to all our Friends!