Archives and Records Association Volunteering Award
Channel: Wolverhampton Arts & Culture
Date: 16/08/2012

The taking Account of the Past project to catalogue and make available the records of a Wolverhampton-based chartered accountancy firm has won the National Archive Volunteering Award for 2012.

The award, from the Archives and Records Association (UK & Ireland) and sector partners, recognises work involving volunteers within an institutional archive service in the UK and Ireland.  The judges were unanimous in choosing the 'Taking Account of our Past' project as the 2012 national winner, describing it as an 'honest, positive and very well-managed project with excellent outcomes'.

The 'Taking Account of our Past' project catalogued the collection of Smith, Son and Wilkie, a chartered accountancy firm based in Wolverhampton. The collection (dated between 1863 and 1989) covers over 60 businesses and nearly 30 families who employed the firm to oversee their finances.

The project began in July 2011. It has found and made available information on many local businesses, including lock makers, brick manufacturers, ironmongers and butchers. As well as business records, the collection contains a wealth of information on local families including the Loveridge, Mander, Wilkes, Reynolds and Wilkie families.
The project involved volunteers at every stage: researching the background histories of the businesses and families; sorting, organising and repacking the collection; and assisting with basic conservation work. The research work, undertaken by volunteers at Wolverhampton Archives and further afield, provides a wealth of information for future researchers. Previous employees of Smith, Son and Wilkie also contributed to the project by helping to give context to the records.


The project allowed Wolverhampton City Archives to extend their volunteering programme dramatically, with the addition of about 20 new volunteers, who were chosen because of their shared interest in local heritage and research. The volunteers improved their skills and knowledge and formed social bonds, while completing work of great value to the collection and its future users. Since their recruitment for the project, the volunteers have been based in the City Archives' public Searchroom and behind the scenes in the service.