Setting up a legacy website

For those of you who don't know me, I'm the son of Anne Brooks, and my father, Rob Brooks, was the driving force behind the creation of this wonderful History Group back in 1999.

It was with a tinge of sadness that Mum told me that, after 26 years, you have decided to retire the group into history.

There was also something slightly ironic that the first talk I attended was only last month—an excellent presentation on the history of the Essex gallows!

When she told me, I asked Mum if I could read some of the journals that have been published over the years. In fact, I read as many as I could, and they are brilliant. They are amusing, informative, and full of fascinating stories, telling the lives of both the great and the good, as well as the everyday working people of our parishes. They capture the stories behind the buildings, the landscape, the hardships, the celebrations, the anniversaries, and the people who made this area what it is.

That made me wonder: should all of this simply disappear into the archives of the Essex Record Office, or should we preserve it and make it available?

As I was reading, I came across something in Journal 3, published in October 2000, entitled Project?

It said:

"There have been many suggestions from the acting committee; these include capturing a photographic record of the High Country today, archiving old photographs and writing some histories of aspects of the area. Do you have a pet project that you would like to propose? Better still, would you like to lead the group in that project?"

Well, 26 years later, I'd like to take up that challenge.

Over the past few weeks, with the help of a number of you—especially Anne Lockwood and Anne Brooks—I have gathered together as many of the journals as I could find. We're still missing Journals 23 to 34 out of 95. So please look in your attics, filing cabinets alike to see if we can find them.

My proposal is that we preserve this remarkable collection by digitising every journal and making them freely available online.

Not only will they be protected for the future, but they will also be searchable, accessible to anyone with an interest in our local history, and available to future generations who want to discover the stories of this community.

This isn't about replacing the History Group or trying to recreate what you've built over the past 26 years. Nothing can replace the knowledge, enthusiasm and friendship that has made this group so special. Instead, it's about ensuring that your work, your research, and your stories continue to be read, appreciated and built upon long after the meetings have come to an end.

So, rather than this being the end of the story, perhaps it can be the beginning of a new chapter—one where everything you have achieved lives on and remains available for anyone who wants to explore the rich history of our parishes.

I’ve made a start and would like to show you what that could look like…

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the History Group over the past 26 years. You have created something truly special.