L to

R back: Clare, Victoria (from the Hold), Angela and Wendy

L to R front: Brenda, Eve, Karen and June

 

“Well done!” was the reaction from the archivist who visited the Benhall and Sternfield History Group one fine morning in June. Victoria, from The Hold (formerly Suffolk County Records Office), shared her knowledge and years of experience with nine members of the group in a two-hour discussion. She admired the work done over the past twelve years in collecting, sorting and archiving paper records relating to local pressure groups, the Parish Council and social activities, covering issues as diverse as the installation of electricity, the A12 Bypass, the quoits club and Rights of Way.

 

The records go back to the 1960s or even earlier and provide a picture of both change and stability. Names recur over many years, while at the same time new people come on the scene and soon become active in village life. There used to be coach outings for “old folk”; now most people have cars and there are Quiz Nights at the Club for grown-ups of any age. The annual Memorial Flower Show has been a fixture of village life for decades. Its records have been put in perfect order, waiting for someone to write the story of this important tradition.

 

How to go forward from here? That was the question. We need to make the records both accessible and safe, the twin aims of any archivist. Access means detailed indexing - how best to do this? It means in-putting data using Excel - hours of work lie ahead!  Safety means paying attention to long-term secure storage - a matter of good housekeeping.

 

Another query - we are in the digital age now. What does this mean for collecting and conserving paper records? Since her arrival in Benhall, Group Chairwoman Jane Evans has initiated a push towards digitising old photographs and slides as well as digitally recording village elders.

 

All these issues were shared with Victoria and she had useful advice to offer. The History Group expects to learn more when we visit The Hold in September 2022.