Archives Wales Alive

Breathing life into historical records

The aim of this project is to showcase the collections held by archive services in Wales, introducing them to new audiences that may not have previously engaged with archive services.  Funded via the Welsh Government’s Priorities for Culture, this project will increase understanding of our current and potential audiences, support archives with engagement, outreach and networking, and deliver a series of activities to promote the use of and access to archives in Wales.

Discovery (November 2025 – April 2026): consultants were commissioned to undertake audience research to explore and identify potential barriers to access, assess user needs and expectations, and identify opportunities to promote, engage and increase access to the collections held in archive services. A marketing strategy was produced from this research.    

Delivery (April – November 2026): recommendations from the consultant and the marketing strategy will be implemented through the creation of shared resources and delivery of events that break down barriers to access, and champion the incredible work archives carry out as part of their communities.

One strand will focus on digital engagement and in particular digital volunteering. This will expand the work of the hugely successful #CrowdCymru project supporting additional archive services and volunteers to engage with digital volunteering.   The second strand will focus on the promotion of and engagement with archive services, and will include activities to develop in-person events and digital resources that can be used by individual services.