CV Walden: Community Archive Update

It was in March, when lockdown began in earnest in order to stem the spread of Coronavirus, that we first invited the local community to submit records of their personal experiences of the crisis. We were, and still are, living through a pandemic which has changed every aspect of the world as we know it. The Covid-19 outbreak has propelled us into history books yet to be written as our lives have been reshaped beyond imagination.

We believe in the importance of helping future generations to understand the impact of Covid-19 on communities such as ours. You can play your own valuable part in contributing to awareness of the sociological, psychological and economic impact of this disease. Saffron Walden Museum, in conjunction with Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre continues to encourage local people to submit their own experiences of this unprecedented crisis in the form of written articles (including diaries or poetry), photographs, art, music or film. Submissions will be curated by Jenny Oxley, the Museum’s Education Officer, and will in time form part of an on-line archive and possibly a physical or on-line exhibition in due course.

You might already have submitted something to the archive and now wish to represent your view of  this latest stage of the crisis as, very slowly, elements of lockdown are eased and the community around us begins to re-awaken. You might not have submitted an entry when you first heard of the CV Walden: Community Archive project but now your accumulated experiences of it and your thoughts of your immediate and longer-term future moving forward might be prompting creative energy. Whichever is the case, we would love to hear from you.

If you are part of an organisation, club, society or charity, consider asking all of your members and clients to take part; there is no deadline for submissions as it is recognised that people might wish to observe in their chosen media the development and eventual resolution of the crisis. If you are a teacher or a parent or guardian teaching at home, consider encouraging children to express their thoughts and feelings in whatever way sparks their imaginations.

Submissions should be sent to museum@uttlesford.gov.uk with ‘CV Walden’ as the subject. Please note that although digital submissions are preferred, non-digital submissions will be accepted at a later date, once the threat of infection is over.

Thank you.