Volunteer Voices
Meet the dedicated volunteers bringing the archive to life. Discover what they do, and hear, in their own words, what the experience has meant to them.
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It has been a privilege to coordinate Sharing Our Stories, a project dedicated to uncovering and preserving the heritage of St Walburge’s Church.
Working alongside volunteers, parishioners and heritage specialists at Lancashire Archives, I have helped document historic objects, research the people connected with the church and ensure that important collections are preserved for the future.
For me, the project has been particularly special as it has uncovered the many stories of faith, community, resilience and service that have shaped its history. Of course, the building itself is spectacular, but the history of the people who have celebrated within it is just as spectacular, and so inspiring in a modern society that lacks the meaningful community connections that people are so often crying out for.
I am glad that the project has offered that to the volunteers, and to me for getting to share it with them.
What our volunteers do
The work of Sharing our Stories goes beyond cataloguing. It is about preserving a community’s heritage, building skills, and making history accessible to everyone.
Volunteers carefully record historical documents and photographs, learning archival standards from Lancashire Archives professionals.
Hands-on training in archival handling and conservation keeps the material safe to archival standards, while volunteers gain heritage skills that last well beyond the project.
Volunteers draw themes from the archive to create an exhibition celebrating the heritage of the church and its community.
In their own words
The training session with Annie at Lancashire Archives was very well organised and professionally presented, as well as being comprehensively informative, inclusive and the most enjoyable.
Even though I only worked on the project for a short while it was an enlightening experience, seeing so much history come to life as we explored the fascinating documents in the archive.
My big regret is not being able to give the project more of my time, as I have enjoyed what bits I’ve taken part in.
I have learned a lot from being part of the project but I feel my input has been minimal as all of this has been very new to me.
The project has been very interesting, particularly since much of the material that we have been working on could very easily have been lost forever.
The items (hand-written documents, plans, photos etc) are quite beautiful, reflecting a time when the pace of life was slower and more reverent to God.
Our team has come together whenever possible to formed a professional bond and, in some cases, friendship. The enthusiasm of its members has been motivating.
The training on how to handle, clean and catalogue historic items was as interesting as it was invaluable. I am sure that the results of all the hard work will make fascinating viewing for the public for years to come.
Reading through correspondence, diaries and newsletters gave me a great insight into the lives of the priest and parishioners that served and worshipped there.
It was also fascinating to study the unique architecture of this wonderful building. There are many architectural drawings and photographs you can spend hours looking at.
I also enjoyed working with such a great team of volunteers. We were all committed to the project, had a keen interest in history and learned a lot from each other.
I would recommend anyone that is interested in church history, Preston, or St Walburges take a look at these archives. Hopefully they will appreciate the hard work of the team cataloguing and storing them for future generations to enjoy.
From the archive room
A glimpse of the volunteers at work, handling, cataloguing, and discovering what the archive holds.
See what our volunteers uncovered
Photographs, letters and records, brought back into the light. Explore the highlights from the St Walburge’s archive.