Caithness archivists among High Life Highland winners to receive award
Archivists at Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives were among the team members who received a national award for their work this week.
High Life Highland’s Archive Service was announced as Record Keeping Service of the Year 2024 in August - but the busy team have only been able to come together now to celebrate.
Ruth MacLeod, chair of the Archives and Records Association UK & Ireland, travelled to Inverness on Wednesday to hand over the trophy and congratulate the team in person, at their main headquarters in Inverness.
The Archive and Records Association (ARA) Excellence Awards took place on August 29 in Birmingham. The Highland Archive Service took 63 per cent of the public vote, with fellow nominees being the Essex Police Museum and Lancashire Archives and Local History.
Ms MacLeod said: “The awards we give out each year are a great opportunity to celebrate all that is good about our profession and all the nominees for Recordkeeping Service of the Year, were deserving of the award, but I was particularly glad, as a Highlander, to see the Highland Archive Service win with such a resounding proportion of the public vote.
“I know how much the service has grown over the years and just how much they deserve to win this accolade. I’m so pleased that, now, as chair of the Archives and Records Association, I can come and present the award to all the staff and volunteers who make the service what it is.”
Since its establishment in 1990, the Highland Archive Service has played a vital role in preserving and sharing the rich history of the Highlands. There are four sites operating across the region: the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness; Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre in Portree; Lochaber Archive Centre in Fort William and Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives at Wick Airport.
Dedicated to collecting, conserving and making accessible records that reflect the history and diversity of the Scottish Highlands and its residents is at the core of what the Highland Archive Service does.
People can access collections in person or through digital channels with lots of focus on reaching out to schools groups, community organisations as well as audiences worldwide.
Highland archivist Alison Mason said: “It was absolutely fantastic to have all the hard work of the team recognised in this way. I am very fortunate to work with such a dedicated and enthusiastic team of professionals. We are all absolutely delighted to be named Record Keeping Service of the Year.”
The Archives and Records Association instituted the ARA Excellence Awards to recognise excellence and contributions by individuals and teams in the record keeping sector. The work of the sector is vital in supporting democracy and human rights and in preserving and sharing the heritage of the UK and Ireland.
To celebrate the achievements of record keeping professionals and their contribution to society, ARA has four special awards: Distinguished Service Award (DSA), Record Keeper of the Year, Record Keeping Service of the Year and New Professional of the Year Award.
Steve Walsh, chief executive of High Life Highland, said: “I would like to thank Ruth for coming to present the award in person and meet with our fantastic Archives team. They do an amazing job bringing the rich history of the Highlands to life in so many ways.
“This award is richly deserved and justifiably recognises the High Life Highland Archive Service team as a leading light in the sector.”