The growing Sudbury Epemera Archive was delighted to recieve a cheque from councillor John Sayers to enable them to preserve the items that have been donated to the Archive. Old documents, maps, invoices and other items will now be kept in pristine condition thanks to this generous donation from the Locality Budget. The Emphemera Archive has now been able to place an order for more boxes and plastic wallets with the Suffolk Records office.
The Suffolk Free Press covered the story on Thursday 16th January 2014
Councillor John Sayers hands Chairman Sue Tibbetts donation cheque
In January the Sudbury Ephemera Archive (SEA) received a cheque for £574 the Town Council’s Locality Budget.
Said Councillor John Sayers who presented the cheque, “Since its inception last year SEA has been hugely successful in amassing ephemeral documents about Sudbury. This is a fantastic and unusual collection and, of course, unique to Sudbury. The Town Council is delighted to help. ”
Most ephemera (documents created for short-term use) are thrown away but word about SEA’s role has got around and private individuals, groups, organisations, businesses and so on have donated posters, town guides, programmes, photographs, paper bags, menus, tickets, invoices and receipts from local businesses.
More specialised records include apprentice indentures, school exercise books, and 19th century election posters. SEA has also acquired a considerable number of documents on education such as those relating to Sudbury’s Middle Schools over the past 41 years until they closed last year, and the now demolished St Peter’s and St Gregory’s School in North Street during World War II creating a considerable social history.
Said Sue Tibbetts, Chairman of SEA, “All these documents have to be stored in specially designed, acid-free, archival storage boxes and folders to prevent deterioration. It is this equipment that the money will be used for and it will enable us to organise our holdings more efficiently. We need more volunteers to help catalogue and index the documents. No experience is necessary, just an interest in local history and an ‘organised mind’!”
SEA works closely with the Sudbury Museum Trust and the Suffolk Record Office in Bury which have offered advice on cataloguing, indexing and document preservation.
If you would like to donate material and/or help, the contact details are on SEA’s website https://www.sudburyephemera.org/ or go to the former Tourist Information Office in Gaol Lane every 2nd Monday of the month 10am – 1pm and every 3rd Wednesday of the month 1pm – 4pm or contact Sue Tibbetts on 07846 885909