Help save the Voices of Bath is a campaign by the Friends of the Museum of Bath at Work to raise £3,000 towards the cost of remastering some 360 cassette tapes made by local people recalling their memories of living and working in Bath into a new, high quality, digital format, so that their long-term future can be secured. For more information, or to make a donation, contact Friends of the Museum of Bath at Work, Julian Road, Bath BA1 2RH, tel: 01225 318348. Please make cheques payable to 'FOMBAW BPA'.

Heritage Open Days have been saved by English Heritage, who 'have taken over ownership' of this annual popular cultural event, which attracts some one million participants and involves 35,000 volunteer organisers. There had been concern over the future of Heritage Open Days after the Civic Trust in England went into administration earlier this year (see earlier news story).

The first week in July is going to be a busy one for local history, with an International Symposium for local and regional historians from around the world at the Institute of Historical Research, 6–8 July 2009, hosted by the Victoria County History, who say it is 'the first symposium designed to look at (the) different ways in which local and regional history is practised in different regions of the world'. Attendance is by invitation, but Local History Online will be there to report on what happens. The next day, 'Local History After Hoskins', a three day conference organised by University of Leicester with the British Association for Local History, is being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Local History in England by W G Hoskins, with papers and lectures which 'reflect the current state of local history, and will look forward to new developments in the subject', cost £12–£75 per day.

15 June 2009