Would you like to play an important role in preserving and promoting Brighton and Hove’s unique heritage and learn new skills in the process?
QUEENSPARK Books, the UK’s longest-running community publisher, has been documenting the lives of local people since 1972. They are looking for volunteers for their Heritage Lottery funded project Archives Alive.
The community-run organisation has published over a hundred books, including ebooks and graphic novels, recording largely hidden histories of Brighton & Hove from 1850 to the present day. These include seminal books such as Backyard/ Back Street Brighton which depicts the slum clearances of the 1930s to 1950s, Daring Hearts about the experiences of LGBT+ people in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and Brighton Transformed, a recent book about the city’s trans gender communities.
Sadly, the majority of QueenSpark books are now out of print and much of its unique archive of texts, voice recordings and photographs are stored away in boxes and underutilised. The concern is that this material will eventually deteriorate and be lost forever.
Archives Alive will ensure this important ‘people’s history’ of the city – the only one of its kind – will be revitalised and made available to everyone.
Archives Alive Project Coordinator, Ali Ghanimi said: “We are looking for volunteers who can spare a few hours per week or month to help us organise and the archives and make them accessible. This will involve sifting through the material, selecting and publishing 4 new books and creating a new interactive website. This will be a great project for anyone with an interest in Brighton’s diverse and fascinating history. Who knows what these ‘archive detectives’ will uncover in the process?”
No specific skills are necessary as training and guidance will be provided by experts. This is a great opportunity for people wanting to develop skills and experience in history archives, book publishing and web development.
If you interested in volunteering email:
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