Needham Community Heritage Project Launch

LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED IN A NEW INITIATIVE TO RESEARCH THE HISTORY OF THE NEIGHBOURING VILLAGES OF BROCKDISH AND NEEDHAM, ARE INVITED TO THE PROJECT WAVENEY VALLEY HERITAGE CENTRE LAUNCH MEETING ON SUNDAY 4TH MARCH AT 2.30PM AT THE FORMER BROCKDISH PRIMARY SCHOOL IN GROVE ROAD.

No previous experience is required - just a genuine interest in and enthusiasm for finding out about the history of your local community, and some spare time. Anyone aged from 15 years upwards will be welcome and you don’t need to live in either village to participate. We are particularly looking for a current or past Brockdish resident who is willing to co-ordinate the research efforts for their village

The Needham & Brockdish Community Heritage Project has just submitted an application for a grant from the Heritage Lottery ‘Sharing Heritage’ Fund with the help of the new Waveney Valley Heritage Centre which will also act as the base for most of the activities and meetings.

The plan is to start with a research period accessing documents, maps, photographs and records both online at the County Archives in Norfolk and Suffolk which will then need to be interpreted, transcribed, copied, digitised and/or photographed to be deposited in a new local archive being set up at the Heritage Centre.

We will be running informal workshops and talks about various aspects of using archive and doing historical research for volunteers to attend. We’d obviously be delighted to hear from people who have had previously researched in the areas of local and family history to share their knowledge and expertise with their neighbours.

Subject to the levels of funding we can access, our aim is to organise a public exhibition and talk on the historical material uncovered, followed by the launch of a new website dedicated to Brockdish and Needham’s past and eventually the publishing of a book on the history of the two settlements.

If you can’t attend the meeting on 4th March but wish to get involved in the project, then please email the co-ordinator Stephen Poulter on stephenjp@talktalk.net.