Save the Worcester Hive Archive.

Far too important to be at risk

Please do not hinder the work of University students and the enjoyment of the public in Worcester!

We have deposited school materials in the archives, as well as visiting with our students. The archive is a very valuable resource.

this archive is an important resource!

No cuts please

THIS RESOURCE REPRESENTS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR MUCH WIDER ACADEMIC RESEARCH, COMMUNITY HISTORY THROUGH TO TOURISM. 40 YRS IN THIS SECTOR AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS 120 COUNTRIES-THIS IS A GOLDMINE. HUGE OPPORTUNITIES. VERY VERY SHORT SIGHTED-DITCHING SUCH A VALUABLE RESOURCE.

Terrible

The archive is very important as it holds information that is a part of our cultural heritage. It provides a vital link to the past that the County Council holds in trust for future generations and should not damage it through funding cuts.

Please protect this service, which is invaluable, excellent, accessible, vital. Resources are comprehensive and easy to access. Staff are friendly and helpful.

A valuable exercise .

Knowing about local history makes me feel connected to my locality and proud of where I live. Original documents are an amazing historical source and should be easily accessible

I have used these archives as one of the main sources for my PhD. Ready access and helpful staff were and still are essential. Donors to the archives, including myself did so on the understanding that they would remain as they were when we used them. This must be allowed to continue by providing sufficient funds. Prof. Tim Carter Norwegian Centre for Maritime and Diving Medicine, Bergen.

These resources should be treasured, and accessible to anyone. Hard copy resources hold a special place in our heritage and must be preserved. As an example, my ancestors used to hand write letters to other people. Many of these letters have been kept and provide a fascinating insight into times gone by. By contrast, who keeps emails nowadays from (for example) 10 years ago? So much information is being lost in the digital morass. There is no substitute for the 'real thing'.

County Record Offices are a duty of care to future generations, in preserving the records and evidence of our past. Worcestershire's collection holds international significance, bringing researchers to the county and doubtless enhancing tourism as well as the cultural life of residents. Given the pioneering relationships with the University of Worcester, deep cuts to the archives service will cause particularly deep wounds to the county's educational, economic, and cultural capital in the future. (Reader in History, Durham University - formerly work experience kid and then casual employee for Worcs. Record Office)

Archives are a community asset that serve not just Worcester but the outlying rural villages and towns that have lost local facilities due to cuts in funding.

Cutting more of our heritage

As a researcher in the history of medicine and as a local resident I find the Hive essential. There is much material that is not available elsewhere.

Save the Worcester Hive Archive!!!

There is a huge interest in Worcestershire archives, not least because the region played such an important part in the professionalization of medicine in the 19th century. Our collaborations with local historians and museums ensure that cutting-edge, world-leading research is carried out in the city. This seems to be pulling the archive from under an established infrastructure. It is short-sighted and will be a huge mistake if not stopped.

As a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Birmingham and as External Examiner for University of Worcester, I can vouch for the fantastic resource in staff and materials held in the Worcester Archive. These grievous cuts will severely diminish their ability to function and provide the excellent planning and other services that they currently carry out. This is an incredibly short-sighted measure.