Skills Bursaries for Archives funded in 2026
Here are the proposals that were awarded Skills Bursaries for Archives in 2026, to support record keepers in building the skills needed for the future.
Bristol Archives
Sounds of the South West (SotSW) is a three-year project, based at Bristol Archives and delivered in partnership with Archives South West, aims to digitise 8000 at-risk audio recordings from across the region. This skills bursary will pay for vital copyright and data protection upskilling which will help the project team to make recordings available in a responsible way; respecting rights holders and benefiting archive users. The working processes developed will be communicated to Archives South West members and other participating organisations across the region, forming a long-lasting legacy.
Issues surrounding copyright, data protection and sensitivity are more complicated than ever due to increased use of AI and the possible uses for material, particularly online, once digitised. SotSW is therefore delighted to receive this skills bursary from The National Archives. SotSW is made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to Lottery Players.
Katie Scaife and Heather Milward, Project Managers
Left to right: Katie Scaife (Project Manager), Harry Ovington (Digitisation Engineer), Mary Milton (Rights Clearance and Cataloguing Mentor), Heather Milward (Project Manager)