A popular culture, heritage and registration venue has hosted more than 150 students as part of sessions aimed at encouraging them to consider a career in managing historical records.
Across three days, Durham County Council venue, The Story, hosted 154 Year 7 students from Tanfield School who heard from archivists and conservators about their roles in looking after the historic collections at the building.
Students were able to peek behind the scenes at the venue, which is home to five collections of historic records, documents and objects, including the DLI Collection. They were able to see how old documents are cared for and repaired before hearing about how they are curated and interpreted.
They were then able to handle some of the items and archive materials before learning about how they can be displayed and exhibited for people to see and enjoy.
Dr Catherine Quigley, assistant head teacher at Tanfield School said: “We’d like to thank staff at The Story for their work in supporting Tanfield School’s careers provision, bringing workplaces and employability skills into sharp focus for Year 7 pupils as they plan their dream futures.”
Cllr Karen Allison, Durham County Council Cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street, said: “We’re pleased to see students in the county being able to get hands-on with the excellent work that goes on at The Story. A career in archives is not only rewarding, but also key to preserving the rich history of our region.
“These kinds of enrichment activities are what The Story is perfect for, as well as providing a beautiful location for couples to mark a relationship milestone as the home of the County Registration Service. Not to mention the excellent café offering a popular place for a coffee and cake.”
The sessions were made possible through grants from The National Archives after they were awarded Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport funding from the Discover! Creative Careers programme.
This funding has allowed The National Archives to award eight grants of £1,600 to archives across England to enable them to engage with schools, potentially for the first time.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
