Community Hub training programme
This training programme has been developed in conversation with community groups, practitioners and partners across the UK. It supports people working with heritage, culture and communities to build skills, confidence and new ways of working together.
The programme offers a mix of online and in‑person sessions, covering topics such as building meaningful community partnerships, working ethically and inclusively, telling community stories creatively, and turning ideas, research and collections into engaging public outputs.
All sessions are free to attend and are open to everyone – you don’t need to be a Community Hub grantee to take part. However, a certain amount of tickets will always be reserved for community groups specifically.
Browse the session listings below for full details and booking information. Some sessions have already been delivered and some are yet to be announced, but you can stay up to date through our dedicated mailing list.
Events in June 2026
Copyright for Community Archives
- Date and time
11 June 2026, 11:00 to 12:30
- Speaker
Stefanie Davidson, West Yorkshire Archives Service
- Location
Online
An introductory session designed to lift the lid on how the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 can impact the work of those caring for, and making available, community archive collections. The session will provide attendees with an overview of the key points of relevant legislation and provide guidance on where to look for further help in getting to grips with the complex issues involved.
Stefanie has been a professionally qualified archivist and records manager for nearly 30 years. Currently working at the West Yorkshire Archive Service with responsibility for collections management strategy and development across the county, she has previously worked in business archives and also in Scottish local authority archive services. She regularly delivers training on data protection, copyright, licensing and publication issues to the members of the West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS) Community Archives Network Group.
Coproducing Stories with Communities
- Date and time
11 June 2026, 10:15 to 15:15
- Location
Leeds Museum and Galleries
A practical, in‑person day led in collaboration with Leeds Museums and Galleries, exploring what it means to create stories with communities rather than for them. Drawing on the “Music Leeds Us” exhibition, participants will experience hands‑on methods for shared decision‑making, collaborative storytelling, and building narratives that reflect collective voices.
You will get:
- Refreshments and lunch!
- Discussion around why we should co-produce stories and what happens when we do
- Practical tips about working in partnership with communities / museums
- To meet co-curators and critique a co-curated project
Data protection for community archives
- Date and time
18 June 2026, 11:00 to 12:30
- Speaker
Stefanie Davidson, West Yorkshire Archives Service
- Location
Online
An introductory session providing guidance for community archive groups on their responsibilities under UK data protection legislation, both when managing their archive collections and when looking after the personal data of their visitors, volunteers and staff. The session will provide an understanding of the key parts of the law and provide guidance on where groups can find further help that is relevant to their work.
Stefanie has been a professionally qualified archivist and records manager for nearly 30 years. Currently working at the West Yorkshire Archive Service with responsibility for collections management strategy and development across the county, she has previously worked in business archives and also in Scottish local authority archive services. She regularly delivers training on data protection, copyright, licensing and publication issues to the members of the West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS) Community Archives Network Group.
Events in July 2026
Introduction to Social Media
- Date and time
17 July 2026, 16:00 to 17:30
- Speaker
Delivered by Adam Kozary, Freelance Social Media Specialist
- Location
Online
We will cover how we can take advantage of how social media works to reach more people, how to choose the right channel/s for your archive, how to decide what content works for you, formats you can copy from other archives, and some principles that will save your sanity. By the end of the session you will have a better understanding of how to communicate your archive on social media, a better idea of how to reach your audiences with the finite time/effort at your disposal, and some inspirational case studies you can pinch ideas from.
Adam Koszary is a freelance consultant for social media and content for the arts, heritage and culture sector. He has advised and worked for places like the Royal Academy of Arts, Canon, the British Museum, Young Vic, Good Law Project and Historic England. He also made The Museum of English Rural Life viral with a tweet of a big sheep eight years ago. Ask about his dog, Keith.
Caring for Collections
- Date and time
21 July 2026, 13:00 to 14:00
- Speaker
Delivered by Amy Sampson, The National Archives
- Location
Online
This session will be delivered by Amy Sampson, Preservation Manager at The National Archives, part of the Collection Care department, which looks after the long‑term care of the national archival collections. Drawing on her hands‑on experience, Amy will share clear, practical advice on how to care for historic documents in everyday settings. The session will cover simple but effective approaches to safe handling and storage, tips for reducing the risk of damage, and how to spot potential problems early. Amy will also explain when it’s best to seek support from professional conservators, helping participants feel more confident about caring for materials in their own collections.
Inclusive Facilitation and Accessibility
- Date and time
28 July 2026, 14:00 to 15:00
- Speaker
Delivered by Louise Bell, UK Disability History and Heritage Hub
- Location
Online
This session, delivered by Louise Bell from the UK Disability History and Heritage Hub (UKDHHH) will encourage attendees to think about accessibility in their events and practices. It will provide practical tips and insights and will have plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and discuss their projects and needs.
Founded in 2022, the UKDHHH is a network to allow those interested in Disabled, Neurodiverse, and D/deaf histories, from the ancient world to the modern era, to connect and collaborate. The Hub is open to researchers, students, archivists, museum professionals, activists and anyone in-between!
Their aim is to make events and practices as accessible and inclusive as possible. However, as a voluntary group with no consistent funding, they understand how tricky this can be. In 2024, the Hub received two Wellcome-funded networking grants. These grants helped fund two events which encouraged those working in and around disability histories to share their projects and connect. The funds were largely used on accessibility provisions – British Sign Language Interpreters, Speech to Text Reporters, video streaming licenses, and more. The events were well received for their accessibility. However, for contrast, they also run monthly virtual events, which don’t have the luxury of funding behind them, but which they still make as accessible as we can given the limitations. They strive to show best practice in running accessible events.
Events in September 2026
Digital Storytelling
- Speaker
Katie Moffat, Digital Strategy Consultant
- Times
10:30 to 16:30
- Dates and locations
7 September 2026, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh
22 September 2026, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
28 September 2026, Enniskillen Castle, Northern Ireland
In this workshop, we’ll explore how to use your collections to tell online stories that engage visitors, provoke curiosity and introduce new people to your collections and archives. Through a series of structured participative exercises, we’ll think about audiences, and the story elements that appeal to them. We’ll look at how stories can be realised using words, images and video; and at the temptations and pitfalls of using generative AI. You’ll leave the workshop with practical ideas to take back to your organisation and try out.
Approaches to Oral History
- Dates and times
9 September 2026, 12:30 to 14:30
- Speaker
Delivered by Oral History Society and Essex Record Office
- Location
Online
A two-hour online session for individuals, community groups, and organisations interested in recording oral histories.
The session will be led by Sarah Lowry (oral historian and Oral History Society trainer), Mary Stewart (Lead Curator of Oral History, British Library) and Kate O’Neill (Sound Archivist, Essex Record Office).
The session will explore the value of oral history and introduce key aspects of planning a project, from deciding who to interview through to equipment, training, and budgeting. It will also offer practical guidance on the steps required to archive oral histories, to ensure that the interviews are accessible to audiences now and in the future.
The session will include time for breakout discussions and Q&A – participants are encouraged to bring questions and share their own experiences.
From Collection to Story: Turning Community Heritage into Meaningful Public Outputs
- Dates and times
10 September 2026, 11:00 to 15:00
- Speaker
Delivered by Katherine Green, Rendezvous Projects
- Location
In person, The National Archives, London
Drawing on Sound Waves: Music in Newham, a large-scale heritage project involving 69 oral histories and 70+ locations, the session demonstrates how dispersed material can be structured into narratives that work across exhibitions, publications, film and digital platforms.
Designed for community groups and organisations, the session focuses on practical approaches to interpretation – supporting participants to move from raw material to finished work.
Rendezvous Projects is an artist-run organisation that explores social and cultural histories of places and communities through creative and ambitious projects. Their work presents stories in new and inviting ways, to establish narratives that may have been forgotten, underrepresented or ignored.
Trust in Collaboration: Strengthening Community Partnerships
- Dates and times
15 September 2026, 10:00 to 11:30
- Speaker
Delivered by Lisa Rea Currie, Heritage Practitioner
- Location
Online
This session will be a comfortable space for community groups and heritage practitioners alike. Primarily using discussion and scenario-based activities it will explore how to build and maintain trust between partners and ensure equitable and productive relationships between community groups and the GLAM sector.
Lisa is a heritage practitioner and researcher whose twenty-year career has focussed on connecting communities with heritage. Primarily working in the community sector, Lisa has managed projects in partnership with National Museums Northern Ireland, a range of local authority museums and the National Trust.
When Oral History Goes Public: Making Decisions about Outputs
- Dates and times
17 September 2026, 13:00 to 16:00
- Speaker
Delivered by Graham Smith, The Oral History Collective
- Location
Online
This session focuses on what happens to oral history material when it goes public – about audiences, and the relevant editorial, ethical, and practical decisions that are involved in shaping different output forms. The session will open with a short introduction to public oral history, followed by three short case studies drawn from current projects. Silvie Fisch, Director of Northern Cultural Projects, will draw on the Byker Community Archive to examine the decisions involved in producing social media content, community exhibitions and archiving from interview material. Liz O’Donnell, former archivist at Northumberland Archive and now an associate researcher, will discuss the Stannington Children’s Hospital project and the particular challenges of working across radio, fiction, and poetry as output forms. Graham Smith will draw on oral history work with Ukrainian communities to consider how the same material functions differently across journal articles, exhibitions, and a popular book.
The session will then work through the output formats most relevant to community groups (including exhibition and display, audio and podcast production, print publication, and digital archiving), examining what each format does to oral history material and to the narrator’s voice. Participants will get to work in small groups with a short piece of oral history material, thinking through how it would function in two different output formats and making their decisions explicit.
A closing discussion will return to participants’ own projects, looking at the constraints – resources, funder requirements, narrator relationships – that shape real choices. Throughout, the question is not which output form is best, but what each one does, who benefits, and what is made visible or obscured in the process.
The Newcastle University Oral History Collective is a research and practice group based at Newcastle University. Its members include community practitioners, academics, and archivists, who work with oral history as both a memory-based method and a historical source. The Collective has a sustained record of co-produced public oral history work across the Northeast, the UK, and internationally.
Holding Space with Care: Trauma-Informed Facilitation for Community Heritage Projects
- Dates and times
22 September 2026, 12:00 to 14:00
- Speakers
Hosted by Giorgia Tolfo, The National Archives
Delivered by Priya Shah
- Location
Online
This two‑hour online session introduces trauma‑informed practice with a particular focus on working with groups where emotional responses may arise. It offers practical, non‑clinical tools to help facilitators feel more confident, prepared, and appropriately boundaried. Participants will build awareness of how pervasive trauma is and how its effects can surface unexpectedly in a variety of forms within group settings, explore boundaries as a form of care, and develop transferable skills for hosting spaces that are welcoming, ethical, and emotionally sustainable.
Priya Shah is an accredited trainer and coach with specialist expertise in the design and delivery of training in communication skills, monitoring and evaluation, suicide prevention, self-care, vicarious trauma and resilience.
Events in October 2026
Digital Storytelling
- Dates and times
6 October 2026, 10:30 to 16:30
- Speaker
Katie Moffat, Digital Strategy Consultant
- Location
In person, Bluecoat Liverpool
In this workshop, we’ll explore how to use your collections to tell online stories that engage visitors, provoke curiosity and introduce new people to your collections and archives. Through a series of structured participative exercises, we’ll think about audiences, and the story elements that appeal to them. We’ll look at how stories can be realised using words, images and video; and at the temptations and pitfalls of using generative AI. You’ll leave the workshop with practical ideas to take back to your organisation and try out.
Digitisation and digital preservation
- Dates and times
22 October 2026, 11:00 to 12:00
- Location
Online
How should community heritage groups go about digitising photographs, documents, audio and video and, just as importantly, how can they make sure those digital files remain safe and accessible for the future?
This practical webinar will look at both digitisation, including scanning physical photographs and documents and converting audio and video into digital formats, and digital preservation, covering the storage, organisation and back-up of digital collections.
We’ll explore recommended best practice, including the approaches used by museums, archives and record offices, but we’ll also look at what works in the real world for small, volunteer-led heritage groups. Community groups have developed many different ways of working: from regular scanning sessions and shared filing systems to external hard drives, cloud storage such as OneDrive or Dropbox, and combinations of several approaches.
Alongside an introduction to good practice, the webinar will include short presentations from community heritage groups explaining how they manage digitisation and back-ups in practice, what has worked well for them, and what they have learned along the way.
Events in November 2026
AI and the Heritage Sector
- Dates and times
15 November 2026, 11:00 to 12:00
- Speaker
Delivered by Mike Ellis, Thirty8
- Location
Online
How can AI tools help community heritage groups with the time-consuming jobs involved in looking after a collection, such as cataloguing, describing and organising their digital files?
This practical webinar will look at how AI tools can be used to speed up some of the common processes involved in managing a community archive.
Rather than focusing on one particular product, the session will concentrate on skills that apply across different AI tools: how to write clear prompts, how to check the results, and how to refine them until they are accurate and useful. We’ll also look at what these tools do well, where they need careful checking, and what to consider when choosing between free and paid options.