The National Archives Trust Launches with £500k pledge from Clore Duffield Foundation
The National Archives Trust, a new independent education body, launched on 11 February at The National Archives in Kew, with the announcement of a £500,000 grant pledged by the Clore Duffield Foundation.
Sir Anthony Seldon, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper at The National Archives were joined by special guest, The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH as well as invited guests and friends.
Sir Anthony Seldon said: ‘The National Archives is a treasure trove, and holds the nation’s DNA. We are all richer when we are connected to our heritage, and it is a great privilege to be Chair of this exciting new organisation. Our history belongs to everyone, and we want these wonderful collections to be enjoyed by people across the nation.’
The Trust will be a registered charity, supporting world-leading education and engagement programmes that celebrate and promote the rich archival heritage of the UK, represented in the collections held by The National Archives and many other archives throughout the country.
The National Archives holds over 11 million records from over 1000 years of the nation’s history. It currently has an award winning education service, and a successful public engagement programme comprising exhibitions, talks, document displays, and themed evenings.
The National Archives Trust will build on this programme to bring our heritage to new audiences, including by touring events and exhibitions around the country so that families, tourists, and researchers across the nation can enjoy these incredible collections.
This first grant will contribute to the creation of a Clore Learning Centre at The National Archives. It will be the first archive to establish a Clore Learning Centre, and joins a network of over 65 museum, galleries, heritage and performing arts learning spaces across the UK.
Dame Vivien Duffield, Chair of the Clore Duffield Foundation said: ‘My Foundation has funded more than 65 Clore Learning Spaces across the UK – within a diverse range of galleries, museums, theatres, performing arts organisations and heritage sites – so we are delighted now to be extending that support to an archive for the first time, enabling The National Archives to engage many more young learners with its extraordinary collections.’
Sir Anthony Seldon said: ‘We are immensely grateful to the Clore Duffield Foundation for their support as we launch. It is wonderful that The National Archives will be the first archive to establish a Clore Learning Centre, and with their help, we will be able to give many more children the opportunity to have a first-hand encounter with history.’