About UsFakenham and District Community Archive started as a Norfolk County Council project in 2002 between the Library and Adult Education services, under the chairmanship of a Fakenham Learning Community Co-ordinator, who wrote the constitution.
The initial aim of Fakenham & District Community Archive was to digitally collect images of local history of the town and its surrounding villages, to be shared county-wide in preparation for a national website (using COMMA software). Funding for COMMA ceased in 2005, and an independent group of local volunteers continued to run the group. During this time the group continued to collect photos and show them on a computer at the local museum and, with a laptop and projector, at day centres, residential care homes and at the Fakenham Focus Community Information and Advice Centre. Additional equipment (more laptops, a projector, screens, scanners, an audio recorder and printers) enabled the group to expand its activities. These items were bought through various grants, including the local Market Tolls Fund and Grassroots. In 2010 a volunteer Website Manager was recruited to the committee, who developed our existing website. This enabled the archive to reach many more people from outside the area who are interested in Fakenham and district. The whole archive now contains over 11,000 images, and our website currently displays about 1,000 of these. A ‘Contact Us’ section on the website enables us to have contact with individuals and for them to leave their enquiries and memories. The website has a section for short video clips and links to many other websites, including community archives, publications and other local history groups. A Facebook page, which reaches a wider age group and generates lively debates, comments and first-hand historical information, was also developed. Monthly archive sessions for the general public have been held for the last five years, following on from local history talks in the library. At these sessions people bring in their photos for scanning, investigate the archive on our laptops and from folders and join the general discussion about the slideshow presentation that’s running. The sessions are friendly and sociable events, with refreshments provided. In December 2011, courtesy of FAKENHAM and DISTRICT SUN, we began publishing our regular ‘Local History Corner’ slot. These carefully researched picture articles offer readers the opportunity to see some of the many interesting pictures which have been donated to the community archive over the years. For those who may not receive a regular copy of the Sun, or who perhaps live further afield there is an opportunity to view the latest article right here on our website. In 2012 we celebrated our tenth anniversary by formally consolidating our existing links with the Fakenham History Society and Fakenham Museum of Gas & Local History by establishing the ‘Fakenham Heritage Group’. Together we have organised local history talks, historical town walks, displays, attended history fairs and community events, and taken part in library projects, World War One commemoration, the Fakenham Junior School centenary and the ‘Norfolk at the Cinema’ project. In 2013 we published our first booklet. “Evacuated to Fakenham” is a diary written by Second World War schoolboy evacuee Fredrick Parker. This was produced in-house and continues to sell well. In 2016 we further extended our ‘Outreach’ program of informal showings of the archive. Our ‘Outreach’ sessions offer those who are unable to visit our monthly sessions in Fakenham Parish Church to enjoy the community archive in a more familiar and relaxed environment. Local residential care Homes, day centres, community groups and schools are among those we currently work with. Also in 2016 we were both delighted and very proud to have had our hard work recognised by the CAHG (Community Archives and Heritage Group). The CAHG monitors and supports many similar organisations across the country and each year awards eligible groups the prestigious CAHG ‘Sustained Achievement Award’. Eligible groups or organisations are those who have been working hard and consistently achieving high standards of excellence across the archive and heritage sectors over at least a 10 year period. During 2019, in addition to our usual activities of creating and maintaining the Archive, organising interesting talks, visiting local organisations and care homes, the Archive has also worked closely with the rest of the Heritage Group and Fakenham Town Council to help create a fascinating Heritage Trail. The Fakenham Lancaster Heritage Trail consists of a walk around 32 historic town centre locations, each marked by a plaque that provides access to digital information about each site. Supporting a project of this scale shows what a wonderful resource the community archive has become, achieved only through the support of public donations and a dedicated team of volunteers. October 2022 marked the Archive’s 20th anniversary. We celebrated this milestone during our regular October monthly session in the company of our valued supporters and public visitors, who enjoyed tea and cake with us. A special exhibition of photos which had been donated to the archive by the public during the past 20 years was displayed, remaining as an open exhibition in the parish church for a further week. AN EXCITING NEW VENTURE Through the support and guidance of the ‘Community archives skills support and sustainability project team’ at the Norfolk Record Office, our long-term aspiration of recording and archiving people’s memories came to fruition this year. Together with the help and expertise of two new volunteers, and the enthusiasm of our visitors to participate, our first recordings were successfully accomplished. The success of this exciting new venture led to a new ‘Oral History’ page being created on our website, here visitors can enjoy listening to people recounting their memories; together with those which have been transcribed from handwritten letters and documents that have kindly been sent to us over the past twenty years. Finally during 2022, we were very pleased to welcome Bob and Bridget to our dedicated team of volunteers. |
In 2016 we were delighted and very proud to have had our hard work recognised by the CAHG (Community Archives and Heritage Group).
The CAHG monitors and supports many similar organisations across the country and each year, award eligible groups the prestigious CAHG ‘Sustained Achievement Award’. Eligible groups or organisations are those who have been working hard and consistently achieving high standards of excellence across the archive and heritage sectors over at least a 10 year period. Fakenham Community Archive committee members Alan Leventhall, Howard Young, Anna Coburn, Mo Bruce, Lyn Maple, Chris Chalk and Peter Boggis, show off their award certificate outside Fakenham library.
Fakenham Lancaster Heritage Trail launch day 11th July 2019. Archive committee members; Mo Bruce, Peter Boggis, Howard Young, Chris Chalk, Lyn Maple and Anna Coburn are seen here standing by one of the trail's attractive information boards outside Fakenham library.
October 2022 marked the Archive’s 20th anniversary. We celebrated this milestone during our regular October monthly session in the company of our valued supporters and public visitors, who enjoyed tea and cake with us. Photos kindly donated by Alastair Robinson © 2022
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© 2011 Fakenham & District Community Archive.
Created in-house by Fakenham & District Community Archive
Created in-house by Fakenham & District Community Archive