Exciting archive project to be launched in East Lancashire
A fascinating chance to help digitise East Lancashire's past and document its present is to be launched.
The exciting £220k project focuses on documenting the area's rich, photographic heritage and recording its diverse present day communities in Burnley, Pendle and Hyndburn over the next two years.
It's got the green light thanks to a £190k grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of their Dynamic Collections programme, and £30k from the Friends of Lancashire Archives.
The innovative scheme will see 'library project hubs' in Nelson, Colne, Burnley and Accrington, with extra project staff and scores of research volunteers working together to showcase the area's rich photographic heritage and make 100,000 images available online.
Also involved will be three South Asian heritage community groups, six primary schools and three photographic societies, with the scheme aiming to include thousands of images documenting life in East Lancashire in the here and now.
This is so that the area's rich and diverse present day population can be fully represented as a legacy for the future.
David Tilsley, senior archivist at Lancashire County Council's cultural services, said: "Our aim is to make the collections of historic photographs in East Lancashire Libraries more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable.
"We want to use the common ground provided by a shared local history to bring people together. Participants will be encouraged to explore our collections and supported to create new images and to share the old and new with the wider community.
"The scheme will feature an inclusive volunteering programme, including 75 digitisation and research volunteer opportunities in the four project hubs in Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and Colne libraries. Meanwhile, one of our key aims is for the library photographic collections to reflect the diversity of the communities in East Lancashire.
"At present the collections do not reflect the reality of communities - for example, 15% of people in Burnley and Hyndburn are Asian, and in Pendle it's 27%, so we aim for this project to really redress this imbalance."
County Councillor Peter Buckley, cabinet member for community and cultural services, said: "This project will really bring together thousands of people in East Lancashire, of different ages and backgrounds, to make the amazing collections of historic photographs in their libraries more accessible, inclusive and sustainable."
"We would really encourage people to explore their rich photographic heritage and help make digital versions of 100,000 images in the library collections, as well as to create new collections by finding significant existing images from within their communities and by taking new photographs that reflect life now.
"You can also share old and new images online at our digital archive, Red Rose Collections - and offline, in ways that engage even more people in a creative and fun way."
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we are thrilled to support this important project that will ensure the archive and collections are representative of their communities while improving access for local people and ensuring their heritage is preserved for years to come.
"We know that heritage can play a huge role in bringing people together and creating a sense of pride, and this work by Lancashire County Council's cultural services is sure to be a fantastic example of that.”
Contact us at archives@lancashire.gov.uk or on 01772 533031 if you want to know more about the project, particularly if you are interested in getting involved, or visit its page on our website, Keeping East Lancashire in the Picture - Lancashire County Council.
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