History Centre reaches 50,000 landmark

A landmark visitor to the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre was presented with a gift and flowers on Tuesday, March 30.

Mrs Rosemary Bennington of Chippenham, is the 50,000th user of the centre since it opened in October 2007. The presentation party included Wiltshire Councillor Stuart Wheeler, Allyson Jordan, head of libraries Swindon Borough Council and Andrew Kerr, chief executive of Wiltshire Council.

Mrs Bennington, who regularly uses the history centre, said: “I have been researching my family tree and there are so many resources available at the history centre, far more than you think. In addition to parish registers I have been consulting a wide variety of documents such as school and court records, and the staff at the history centre are really helpful.”

The history centre is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday and contains a treasure trove of more than seven miles of archives going back more than 800 years, plus information and advice for heritage-lovers. It has rapidly become popular with local and family historians, school groups and other researchers, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Stuart Wheeler said: “Following our success in a national customer survey, where the history centre received a 100% satisfaction rating, it is good to see that customers are also voting with their feet.

“I am delighted to meet Mrs Bennington, one of a large number of users now benefiting from this modern, state-of-the-art facility. Our staff work hard to ensure everyone who comes into contact with the history centre has a welcoming and enjoyable experience. They are also involved in innovative projects that encourage a wide range of community groups and individuals of all ages to connect with Wiltshire and Swindon’s rich and diverse heritage.”

One recent group which has worked in partnership with the history centre is the Ridgeway School from Wroughton, where students have been participating in the groundbreaking “Campaign! Make an Impact” project. The students are the first in the south west to complete the programme using case studies from history to inspire their own campaign on a range of issues.

Assistant head teacher Gwyn Newman said: “By using community organisations to promote informal learning and social development work, students knowledge, skills, confidence, and organisational and leadership ability is considerably enhanced.

“This was clearly evidenced not only in the quality of the work produced, but also in the enthusiastic, articulate and confident way students were able to explain their research and conclusions. Congratulations to all those involved and especially to the history centre and Ridgeway School staff who have given up their valuable time to run this project.”