Redditch Local History Society is holding a ‘drop-in and donate’ day on Wednesday, November 15 for members of the public to bring along their own personal mementos of the town’s past.
It is hoped that these can then be catalogued or even be donated to the society to further grow their archives.
It’s all happening at Forge Mill Needle Museum, which is currently hosting a month long exhibition of the society’s findings.
The group was formed just eight years ago but since then has collected a wide range of artifacts relating to the history of the town, many donated both by members of the group and the public.
These include an extensive collection of photographs, original ledgers and journals, mounted paintings and prints, service awards and many physical artifacts.
As the town doesn’t have a heritage centre or an archive depository, these are safely stored by members at their homes.
All the archives are catalogued in an on-line database and their location identified.
Although safely stored for the future the archives are rarely seen as a collection but this year Forge Mill Needle Museum has given the society the opportunity to display a wide selection of these finds in their exhibition gallery.
The exhibition runs until Sunday, November 26 and on each Wednesday there will be ‘drop In’ days when members will be present to discuss the exhibition and, on these days, there will also be a touch screen computer which has all the artifacts in digital form plus much more.
The society welcomes photographs, newspaper cuttings, booklets and documents about Redditch history as well as physical items such as badges, souvenirs and typical items manufactured in the town.
