Over the past few weeks, Arts&Heritage’s partnership with the Essex Record Office has brought local history to life in libraries and local events across the county. Through the Open the Box pop-up events, visitors had the chance to explore fascinating historical records and get hands-on with the handling collection. Many enjoyed listening to cassette recordings, from vintage radio broadcasts to Essex folk music, and families engaged with creative activity sheets designed for all ages.

Celebrations continued at Essex Pride in Central Park, Chelmsford and with partner community groups across the county, where participants were invited to contribute their own memories and mark out spaces of belonging within their community.

Residents who couldn’t join in person could contribute by completing a short survey to indicate how they’d like to engage with the archives.

Through asking questions, and sharing ideas on themes and future activities, this invaluable local input has helped to shape the future of how we support historical research and community storytelling in Essex, and informed the direction of an artistic brief to be developed alongside a larger second-phase project.