Latest News

Welsh archives are home to a wealth of treasures – are you ready to explore?

Published: 18/11/2019

Archives across Wales are getting ready to celebrate and showcase their services and collections for Explore Your Archive week, which this year runs between 23 and 30 November.

The week long campaign encourages people to discover the stories, facts, places and people that are at the heart of Welsh communities. As part of the celebrations, many archives will hold special activities and welcome the public to experience, understand and take pride in the wealth and variety of material they hold. 

Special Archive Ambassadors, who have made professional and personal use of archive collections and services, will launch the weeklong festival at the Bandstand in Aberystwyth on Monday, 25 November. 

Colin Sheady, a volunteer at Flintshire Record Office and Archive Ambassador has assisted with a number of projects including recently indexing Flintshire Planning applications. Colin says “the work I conduct is incredibly rewarding to me. I get to discover the names of families that would have otherwise been forgotten, significant events that helped shape the landscape are readily available at my fingertips, and the rise and fall of industries take place before my very eyes.”

As part of Explore your Archive, a variety of free events will be on offer at archives across Wales – from talks and treasure hunts, to film showings and creative workshops. This year Flintshire Record Office is taking part in the social media side of the campaign by raising awareness of archives by joining in the daily # campaign. Take a look at Flintshire Record Office’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FlintshireRecordOffice) each day from 23 November to 1 December to see a different photograph from the archives.

Welsh archives hold a vast range of materials, ranging from human hairs to family recipes, love letters to oral histories. Many of these weird and wonderful objects will be highlighted during Explore Your Archive week in a vibrant digital campaign. 

Vicky Jones, Project Training Manager at Archives and Records Council Wales, said:

“The aim of Explore Your Archive is to inspire people to learn more about some of the amazing heritage stories on their doorstep through a variety of different experiences. I’d urge you to check out what’s on at your local area and get exploring!”

To start exploring please visit your local archive service or archives.wales.

For further information, interviews and images please contact: Claire Harrington, Principal Archivist archives@flintshire.gov.uk   #explorearchives