History group looking to grow and spread more town tales
Members of the Fakenham and District Community Archive. - Credit: Fakenham & District Community Archive
Fakenham and District Community Archive is hoping to expand its work as it hosts its first event in 18 months.
The historical group has spent the last 20 years building a digital archive of the town and nearby villages of photos and memories.
The team has just finished a 10-day display at the parish church themed around celebrations as it looks forward to returning to its monthly sessions on September 28.
The sessions, which are also held at the parish church, allow people to explore the complete archive, look through scrapbooks, watch a slideshow or bring in photos to be scanned into the archive. Fiilms of the town are also shown.
Lyn Maple, group chairman, is looking forward to seeing people come together in person for the first time in more than a year and a half.
Fakenham & District Community Archive 'Celebrations in Fakenham over the years' display was held at the parish church in the town. - Credit: Fakenham & District Community Archive
“We can't wait, we are excited to start again and we really hope people come along,” she said.
"Public sessions are so great as they reconnect people who worked, or went to school together.
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“People are interested in so much, whether it is the house they moved into, the place they used to work, or how their street looked.
“When we show the films, it starts a discussion of where they used to work and people start talking together and that triggers more memories for people to share.”
Fakenham & District Community Archive will host their sessions at the town's parish church. - Credit: Matthew Farmer
The group is also looking to expand with more resources, and a focus on oral history.
These are recording sessions of individuals recounting memories of the town, either in person or from letters, with these sessions going online for people to listen to.
It is also looking for a new permanent home, as currently, resources are being kept in members' homes.
A central base is needed to store equipment, with items including laptops, a projector, scrapbooks and display boards.
The group's lack of a home limits its ability to help people explore the archive for their own research, nor does it have anywhere to train new committee members or record these audio sessions.
If you can you help, please call 01328 863377 or via the 'Contact Us’ section of their website, www.fakenhamcommunityarchive.weebly.com
