Uttlesford Local History Recorders
Chairman's Report 2004
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Chairman’s Report 2004
(extracts, as presented at 2005 AGM)
After the increased activity of 2003, the Uttlesford Recorders in 2004 had a somewhat quieter year, while we prepared for the plans put forward in the previous year to go through the process of detailed costing for a grant application to the Local Heritage Initiative. The grant submission was sent off in December 2004.
Apart from this, we enjoyed the first of a regular series of workshops, this year by courtesy of Saffron Walden Museum, with whom we have forged a close link. We had an excellent session, under the guidance of their conservator and curator, learning about packaging, materials and conservation techniques, plus a tour behind the scenes in the museum stores. Afterwards we were given a list of conservation suppliers and information which were incorporated into the Recorders’ Resource Pack. The packs, distributed to all members, have 15 pages so far and include a map of Uttlesford, a sample RUTH recording form, a list of useful contacts, guidelines for a parish survey and recording of war memorials, monumental inscriptions, place-names, house history and oral recording.
In May we were the guests of Littlebury History Society for our AGM, attended by 16 Recorders. As usual it was very interesting to hear about all the activity in the villages, and particularly about the Littlebury project to produce a history book. The Recorders’ 2003 reports have been sent to the ERO for permanent deposit. Newsletters have continued at intervals, but are largely superseded by regular Recorders E-News bulletins, of which I have sent about 20 or more during the past year. They cover useful information such as history websites, history news, invitations to events and invite comments regarding ongoing matters. Recorders are also being encouraged to put their researches into the public domain by making use of the Saffron Walden Historical Journal, which covers the whole of Uttlesford.
Looking ahead, our future will be dominated by the happy news that the grant was awarded in full and we can go ahead with the entire project. This will be officially launched in the autumn with a pilot project, followed by extension to all Recorders who wish to participate. Because of this changed emphasis, it has become necessary to impose a small subscription from 2005, in order to build up funds for the future maintenance of our equipment. I hope that Recorders will find this equipment particularly useful as they work to catalogue, record, display and present the history of their villages. You will be able to use it not only for the database, but also to word process research notes, scan in photographs and documents, convert slides to photographs, turn out OHP slides for presentations and compile presentations of illustrations to accompany lectures.
There are still some vacancies, but we now have 38 Recorders covering 45 villages and hamlets. This largely unsung voluntary work must be responsible for a lot of the growing interest in history and heritage in Uttlesford. So well done all of you! My thanks as ever to the committee who have been most supportive. We look forward to a busy two or three years as the project evolves.
In addition, the chairman reported to the meeting: new Recorders for Wimbish, Henham and Saffron Walden. The reports from 2004 had been deposited at the ERO, and the archivist had expressed his continuing support for the work of ULHR. There had been good press coverage of our activities, and newspaper cuttings were on display this evening. The chairman had written articles about Recorders for the Local Historian and the Family & Community History journals, to publicise the need for Recorders and raise their profile. She had also written to Uttlesford District Council, asking for a page about ULHR on their local history section. The chairman noted that Saffron Walden Library was due to close for refurbishment for 9 months in the new year, and this would affect those doing historical research. The Local Studies section, which had already been refurbished, would also be unavailable to researchers. There was unanimous agreement that the chairman should send a letter to the County Librarian requesting alternative access to research material. The chairman displayed material from the Essex Congress, a federation of local history societies, and suggested Recorders in local history groups might want to affiliate to it.
Jacqueline Cooper
