Creating a pictorial historical record of South East Essex

Around 12 volunteer editors and researchers help with editing, interviewing, researching, creating guides and publishing books to generate funds needed to rent office space, hold free public meetings and pay for the archive software and hosting.

Visits to Essex Records Office and the National Archives helped the group to research topics such as Hadleigh's pre-Norman St James the Less Church and the local Peculiar People Movement.

The volunteers ran popular history drop-in sessions, encouraging the community to bring their own photographs and postcards to share their memories. Digital recording training helped the group to scan items. They digitised a local resident’s postcard collection before publishing the Hadleigh Postcard Memories book.

The group were trained in recording buildings to help them create a walking history map that included ancient woodlands, Hadleigh Castle and the Royal Deer Park. They created a guide to St James the Less Church and a pack for schools about education in Hadleigh during Victorian times.

The archive launched in 2011 and is run on a not-for-profit basis by the volunteer Hadleigh and Thundersley Community Archive Group.