Great Fen Local History Group

The Great Fen Local History Group is an active group of Great Fen and Ramsey Rural Museum volunteers, working alongside the Great Fen team.

The Great Fen has a rich heritage both socially and physically and the group carries out local historical research. This includes recording local people's stories and memories and running reminiscence visits and talks in the local community. Members attend local heritage fayres and events and much more. Some history group members come to our regular meetings and others help by researching from home.

Here are some of the activities that the group have been involved in.

• Recording local people's stories and memories on different themes and creating booklets, audio clips and other materials based on these fascinating stories. See the Fen Stories and Memories pages.

• Creation and use of memory boxes on different themes: for loan and use during community group visits. Reminiscence has shown to have many benefits to people's well being, especially for people who may feel isolated.
  See Education and Community Services.
• Visits to day centres and sheltered housing, including group reminscence sessions using the memory boxes. 
• Support at events: including Great Fen heritage events and fetes and festivals (e.g. Ramsey and Holme 1940s weekends)
• History research in areas such as pre- and post-drainage of the Fens. This research is helping to build the history section of this website and produce displays and other materials.
• Archiving photos, objects and other materials.

“Nowhere in Britain has had such a diverse history as the Fens, and it is a privilege to work with a small dedicated team to record the changes that nature and man has brought about over the centuries. 

It has also given me the opportunity to help record the life and struggles of an endangered species 'The Fen Tiger'.”

Alan Malt (Great Fen Local History Volunteer)

Current project

The group is currently researching the history of “peat”: its formation, exploitation, shrinkage and importance for the future. The aim is to create a mobile exhibition that can be taken to events or lent to interested groups.

If you have any photos, information or memories of peat cutting and its uses on the fens please get in touch.

More volunteers needed

We are looking for more volunteers to become involved in the Local History Group. We need help with creating exhibitions and displays and attending reminiscence sessions, as well as outside heritage events i.e. Yaxley Festival, Ramsey and Holme 1940’s and Plough Day. If you have a few hours to spare and have an interest in your local heritage, then come along to the next meeting at the Countryside Centre on Monday, 21^stJanuary 2013 at 10.30 am.

If you would like to get involved with this friendly and active group, please get in touch with Louise Rackham, Great Fen Education and Community Manager.