Tameside archive centre celebrates seventh year of national accreditation

Tameside’s Local Studies and Archive Centre has once again been recognised for its high standards, retaining its prestigious Archive Accreditation status for the seventh consecutive year.

To mark the achievement, a volunteers’ appreciation afternoon was held at the end of January at the Local Studies Centre, where staff and volunteers came together to celebrate the award and receive a certificate of achievement.

The accreditation, awarded by The National Archives, confirms that Tameside Council’s archive service meets nationally agreed UK standards for archive management, including its policies, processes and public engagement. Retaining this status allows the centre to continue as an official place of deposit for important documents such as council and court records.

Over the past year, both council staff and dedicated local volunteers have played a vital role in maintaining these standards, contributing more than 1,000 hours of voluntary work. Their efforts support a wide range of activities, from preserving historic documents in carefully controlled environments to organising records for public access.

Volunteers also assist residents with family history research, clean and repair fragile archives, scan photographs and help catalogue collections, improving accessibility for future generations.

Helen, archivist at Tameside Local Studies and Archive Centre, said the volunteer appreciation event was an important opportunity to recognise those contributions.

“We hold it every year as a way of saying thank you to the volunteers that come here pretty much every week and give their time,” she said. “They help improve accessibility of the archives through listing collections, cleaning and repairing documents – it’s so much work that would be impossible without them.”

She explained that the Archive Accreditation scheme, which was awarded again in November, is run by The National Archives and demonstrates that the service is managed to nationally recognised standards.

The importance of volunteers to the centre cannot be overstated, Helen added. “We’re a small team and I’m the only archivist here. There are only so many hours in the day, so without the volunteers there’s so much we simply wouldn’t be able to achieve. They really are at the heart of the archive.”

The National Archives Accreditation Panel praised the centre, describing it as a “well-managed archive service, delivered by a new team that has successfully come together over the last year”.

Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Lifelong Learning and Culture, Cllr Leanne Feeley, also paid tribute to the team’s efforts.

“The team and volunteers at Local Studies have done an incredible job to help retain accredited status and it is such a testament to their hard work,” she said. “Their attention to detail and genuine passion for their roles has kept Local Studies a place of deposit, and the recognition is truly deserved.”