Explore Your Archive 2017

Various things have been happening across Wales for the annual Explore Your Archive extravaganza - and this year our 'local' Ceredigion Archives asked people to respond to their collections by 'Making History'.

A special evening celebration then exhibited our responses - with performances, artwork, knitting, music, flowers, poetry, 'shrub', a tattooed knee, and authentically reproduced old recipes (although I couldn't quite bring myself to try the mince pies made with bullock's heart!).

My own 'artistic' effort comprised a piece of doggerel verse:

There once was an Archive by the Sea,

Holding 500 years of County History.

Prints and photos, maps and plans,

Letters and diaries in old-fashioned hands,

Adverts and guides to the County of Old,

Showing how we once lived, what we once sold.

All kept safe and sound for people to see,

To search and discover how Things Used To Be.

After forty-odd years the Archive is still

Collecting these records with zeal and good-will.

Of Clubs and Societies, Council and All,

Stored (away from the sea) at the Old Town Hall.

Generations to come will be able to say:

“So that’s how they did things, back in their day.”

There’s so much in our Archives, from now and before,

Your history is here, come along and Explore!

. . . for which I was duly awarded a medal (along with everyone else - although Martin is now insisting on calling me Muttley!).

It was a great evening - lots of new people got introduced to archives along the way - and a good time was had by all!