Planning a project
Are you gathering oral or written memories from your community, or collecting and copying old photographs and documents about where you live? Perhaps you want to create a community website and encourage people to add to it?
We have been involved in supporting many local projects and can share our experience with you. You can also deposit or donate your project records to Gloucestershire Archives for safe-keeping. Our aim is to preserve archive collections permanently and make sure that they are accessible for future generations. Please Contact us for more details
Planning a community archives heritage project
Before you start your project planning, you will be thinking about what you want to achieve and who your project is for. You may already have offers of help from your community, but what about other people or organisations with whom you could work? Are you going to manage the project yourself or do you need a team?
There are other things to bear in mind at this early stage. For example, if you want to create digital records and publish material online, you must make sure that you comply with copyright and data protection laws. It's much easier if you get it right at the start.
Why not meet up with the Gloucestershire Archives team? We can advise on partnerships and sources of funding, working with volunteers, creating and preserving digital project records, copyright and data protection issues, and much more.
Resources
There are several useful websites for you to explore which aim to encourage community archive projects with free advice and support. They contain lots of useful information and case studies - plenty of ideas to get you started.
There's also a guide specifically for running reminiscence activities in care settings.
- Volunteering England works to support and increase the quality, quantity, impact and accessibility of volunteering throughout England
- Community Archives and Heritage Group
- Runcoco
- Running reminiscence activities in care settings.pdf (PDF, 266 KB)
- East Midlands Oral history archive
- JISC digital media
- Oral history society
Success stories
Project funding
Gloucestershire Archives offers a free initial session to groups in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire to discuss your project and advise on funding. Please get in touch with us if you are interested.
Your application for funding will be stronger if you have a clear project plan. You will need to work out how much your project is likely to cost, the amount you can contribute (in cash or in kind), and how much grant you need. Working in partnership with other groups and organisations is likely to bring you more success.
Resources
There are various grants available to support community heritage projects. To find out more about grants and funding opportunities you can use free web sites such as Funding Central and Charities Information Bureau South and West. Both offer advice to charities, community groups and individuals.
The Heritage Lottery Fund is one of the main providers and its website includes examples of successful projects. HLF advises applicants to contact their local archives service at an early stage to discuss their projects.
The Community Archives and Heritage Group is a free support network for community groups. Its website contains detailed project case studies from around the country as well as lots of other useful advice on project funding and budgeting.
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