NorthWestRegional Network
Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside
 Emma Chaplin Heritage and Museums Officer, Cheshire County Council, The Salt Museum, 162 London Road, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 8AB Telno: 01606 40394 Email: emma.chaplin@cheshire.gov.uk Rosalyn Livshin 48 Park Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 0FA Telno: 0161 740 3941 Email: rlivshin@bigfoot.com Elizabeth Roberts Centre for North-West Regional Studies, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YH Telno: 01524 65201 Email: elizabethroberts1@btinternet.com  Andrew Schofield Sound Archivist North West Sound Archive, Old Steward's Office, Castle Grounds, Clitheroe Castle, Clitheroe BB7 1AZ Telno: 01200 427897 Email: nwsa@ed.lancscc.gov.uk CheshireI have dealt with several enquiries re equipment, sources of funding etc but the main area of activity that I have been involved in is within our own Cheshire County Council Cultural Services Department. The Home Library Service in Cheshire is currently delivered in partnership with WRVS and their volunteers. Home Library Service clients had expressed a wish in a recent survey to participate more actively in local history and so the idea for an oral history project was born. Funding has been secured through Access for All, an archive home for the project has been identified at the Salt Museum and Networker Ros Livshin has been contracted to provide training for the project. The project is currently running as a pilot in the Northwich area but it is hoped that it can be rolled out to other parts of the county in the future. Emma ChaplinLancashire, Greater Manchester and MerseysideThe North West Oral History Network continues to grow and now has around 150 members. During the last year many new projects and individuals have joined the Network recording a wide variety of subjects across the north west. Many of these projects have been established with Heritage Lottery Fund grants. About 25 oral history training sessions have been held for Network members and others undertaking recording projects. An Open Day was held in May for Network members and, although not as well attended as in previous years, it proved useful for those who did attend, in that members could meet and exchange information and ideas. Many proposed projects are awaiting decisions from the HLF and it is hoped that a significant number of these will gain funding and begin recording soon. Many of the projects are depositing either their master recordings with North West Sound Archive or allowing the Archive to take security copies of the material produced, thus ensuring the long term preservation of the collections. Various members of the North West Composers Group have also started depositing copies of their works with the Sound Archive. Besides these deposits the Sound Archive has taken in several new collections and continues with its own recording programme. However the Sound Archive’s own recording has been somewhat curtailed after the retirement of the Sound Archive Support Officer. This post has now been filled and recording work has restarted. Also curtailing the recording work is the fact that the Sound Archive has had to move into temporary accommodation while major building and renovation work takes place on the Clitheroe Castle site. It is hoped that we will be moving back to the Castle site towards the end of 2008. (All contact details remain the same whilst we are in the temporary accommodation). Enquiries to use the collections have risen considerably during the last twelve months with various television and radio stations using the material as well as museums, libraries, students and members of the public undertaking local history research. Andrew SchofieldGreater ManchesterIn the last year I have continued working with the Association of Jewish Refugees, bringing their Refugee Voices, Audio Visual Project to a conclusion. By the end of December 2006 all 150 interviews had been completed throughout the country and the Project entered its next phase of transcribing the interviews and checking the transcripts. One should never underestimate the time spent on the checking process, which can be quite arduous, especially if there are foreign words or names. The project is due to finish by the end of 2007 when the Archive will be made available in different repositories in the UK and in Europe. Following the report commissioned last year, I have been helping to advise Manchester City Council together with Manchester Metropolitan University on their plans to apply for funding for an Oral History Information Hub in the City which will be a central source of information, providing advice, resources, training and opportunities to share experiences and good practice. This project would be a focus for established projects and a stimulus for new ones, documenting ideas of identity and belonging at a key moment of change and transition. The project aims to establish the hub at MMU, to develop a database and website and to be involved in outreach activities. Over the last year I have been contacted by a number of fledgling projects for advice and for training where projects have received funding. The Oral History Online Network has been invaluable in providing advice and information, ensuring that the most up to date advice is given to proposed projects on equipment etc. Ros Livshin |