Update 21 February 2012

Monday, 27 February 2012 — Local History Committee meeting, Special Collections Library, Francis Close Hall, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, 2.30pm.

An opportunity to see a display of items from the Special Collections (and in particular from the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society’s library, which is housed there) and a chance to ‘take stock' of where we are regarding the Committee’s future. Committee members wishing to attend should contact Steve Blake (steven.blake@deltonglos.plus.com or 01242 510926) to book a place.

For details of how to get there please click here. You will also find a street plan and a plan of the campus. The entrance to the Special Collections Library is that part of No.8 (the Learning Resources Centre in Quad East) closest to the chapel in the plan.

Click here for a photo of the outer Quadrangle, in which the Special Collections Library entrance is in the far left.

Information about the Special Collections Library may be found here.

Please note: there is no public parking at the Campus, but that there is a mulit-storey car park a little further east along Swindon Road, close to Matalan and opposite the Brewery Shopping Arcade. Also that the campus is also a short walk from the town centre.

Update 1 January 2012

The detailed responses to the November 2011 local history questionnaire were as follows:

A total of 53 responses were received from individuals and organisations, representing 36 of the 67 local history groups and societies on the Local History Committee mailing list. 96% of those responding wanted a new organisation to be formed, and the percentages wanting particular aspects of the current committee's activities to continue were as follows:

100% - List of local history speakers

89% - www.gloshistory.org.uk website

85% - Local History Afternoon (usually October)

70% - Regional History Afternoon (usually July)

68% - Quarterly Newsletter

62% - Networking Opportunities

57% - Gloucestershire History magazine

57% - Bryan Jerrard Award

There was strong (85%) support for continuing the current pattern of four Local History Committee meetings a year, to which any representative of a local history or group may attend, while 45% felt that a smaller, more structured committee should be formed; 28% felt that the members of this smaller committee should be elected.

89% of those responding said they would be prepared to pay a membership fee to join the new organisation, the average sum suggested being in the region of £10 for individuals and £25 for societies. A small number of people suggested that the level of subscription for societies should vary according to the number of members.

A number of offers of practical help in running the new organisation were received, and suggestions were made for new activities for the organisation, including lectures, evening walks, training events and social activities. Suggestions for fund-raising/money saving focused mainly on charging membership subscriptions and using email rather than post to communicate with members.

Update 5 December 2011

Meeting of the Local History Committee at Gloucestershire Archives.

The Chairman, Steve Blake reported there had been an excellent response to questionnaire with 96% of the 53 replies wanting a new organisation to be formed.

The meeting spent some time discussing how new organisation might operate and what its activities should be. This concluded with overwhelming support for the following motion :-

This Committee authorises its Chairman and Vice-Chairman to prepare a proposal for a new organisation of local history groups, societies and organisations within Gloucesteshire to replace the existing GRCC Local History Committee from 1 April 2012.

The proposal should indicate -

1. Which activities of the existing Local History Committee should be retained, given appropriate funding, with suggestions for any additional activities that might be considered in the future.

2. A suggested structure for a new Executive Committee to manage the organisation.

3. Suggestions for the level or levels of subscription that might be charged to member organisations.

4. Suggestions for the most appropriate means of communication between the Executive Committee and the membership.

5. Suggestions for a name for the new organisation.

The proposals are to be put to the next meeting of the GRCC Local History Commitee, on 27 February 2012.

Update 17 November 2011

Withdrawal of Funding from Gloucestershire Rural Community Council.

You may have heard that the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC) has decided to withdraw funding for the Gloucestershire Local History Committee (GLHC). The background to this decision by GRCC is set out in a joint letter from Lesley Archer, the chief executive officer of GRCC and Dr Steven Blake the chairman of GLHC. A copy of this letter is available from the link below.

What the letter does not say is that Steve Blake has been spending a lot of time finding out about similar organisations in other counties. We are grateful to Steve and the officers of these organisations who have supplied helpful information. It is clear that if there is a demand for a body like GLHC in the future there is every possibility this demand can be met. If a new body is to be formed it is vital that the views of individuals and organisations are made known.

A short questionnaire has therefore been produced which may be completed online at www.grcc.org.uk/snap/localhistory/localhistory.html or by completing a one page paper version from the link below. The questionnaire in either form has to reach GRCC by Monday 28 November 2011. The results will be available at the next GLHC meeting which will take place at Gloucestershire Archives on Monday 5 December 2011 at 2-00pm.

A major topic at that meeting will be "the way forward". Paper copies of the questionnaire have been circulated to those people on the GLHC mailing list along with a Freepost envelope. If you download the questionnaire from here and do not have the envelope you should use the address Gloucestershire Rural Community Council, FREEPOST SWC 0305, Community House, 15 College Green, Gloucester, GL1 2BR.

It is hoped that as many people as possible make their views known and take part in the discussion at the meeting on 5 December(which, incidentally, will conclude with the usual mince pies).

This page will be kept updated with progress towards the formation of a new organisation to replace the existing GLHC.

To receive up to date information on progess we urge you to join the Gloucestershire History Mailing List at groups.yahoo.com/group/gloshistory/ .