Plan to create new home for County and Wakefield archives secures Heritage Lottery Fund support Ref: PR 3836 Date: 08/10/2012 West Yorkshire Archive Service has received initial support for a A3.6 million bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to create a new permanent home for Wakefield??s archives, it was announced today. The aim is to provide a secure and stable environment for the collections of the former county of the West Riding, as well as for those relating to Wakefield district. It will also improve access to the records, allowing them to be explored in a much more welcoming environment than the Service can currently offer. The bid included development funding of over A200,000, and this has been awarded to help the Archive Service progress its plans to apply for a full grant at a later date. The Archive Service??s Wakefield collections are currently held in the old Registry of Deeds building, which is no longer fit for purpose. Wakefield Council has allocated a site in Kirkgate for a replacement building, where the Service will have the space to reconnect communities with their archives ?? including the large collections of mining records relating to the former coalfield communities. The Service will also have the facilities to offer better training and guidance for those wishing to explore archives relating to family and local history, and to offer a wider range of volunteering opportunities, especially in its highly regarded conservation unit. The archive collections held in Wakefield range in date from