Campaigning on behalf of our town and district

Our latest Bury Free Press feature describes how The Bury Society has always been a campaigning organisation – joining together with others to get our voices heard. By Terry O’Donoghue & Alan Baxter

The Bury St Edmunds Society cares about the heritage of the town and district. We realise that there is a need to act as a guardian for our past, for the benefit of people today and for future generations. Originally formed in 1970 as part of a campaign to save St Johns Street from destruction, the Bury Society has often demonstrated that role over the years. Recent events have shown that campaigning spirit is as important now as it ever was.

The unexpected can and does happen, this can have a great impact upon our town and the lives we live. We have seen an erosion of some of the iconic elements of the town that form an integral part of its rich heritage – key buildings, long standing organisations and businesses.  At the same time, we understand the need for change and for the town to move forward and develop. 

The challenge is how to get that balance right for the people who live here. The Bury Society provides a way that local opinion can be galvanised and coordinated to have a much more effective voice. It ensures that such campaigns put any party politics to one side and stick to the facts.

We have carried out many different campaigns for our local heritage, with a range of outcomes – some successful, some not.  The point is that we have gone into battle, rather than stood by and done nothing. Our local authorities need to know the views of those they say they represent.

A good recent example is the campaign to save our archives, led by The Bury Society.  One of the first things we did was join with the Bury Free Press to maximise our publicity. In summary, Suffolk County Council plans to shut down the ‘Record Office’ in Raingate Street and move all the archives to The Hold in Ipswich.  This was only announced in January this year and without consultation. Many people and organisations from across West Suffolk, especially Bury St Edmunds, oppose this move and want to keep our archives here in West Suffolk.

On January 23, around 60 representatives from the Bury St Edmunds Town Trust and other organisations, including archaeologists and historians, as well as residents from wider West Suffolk were brought together by the Bury Society to discuss a way forward. Local elected members were also present along with press representatives.

Suffolk County Council are facing the most challenging budget-setting process in many years. £140,000 of savings will be achieved by centralising Suffolk Archives to The Hold and closing the branches in west and east Suffolk. Yet this is a tiny proportion of the multi million pound budget.

The meeting was concerned that the loss of the archives from the town would severely limit the opportunities for study either by professional or amateur; that community projects for schools and the young would abruptly come to an end. Local museums, The Abbey of St Edmund partnership and other associations would be effectively denied ready access to records specific to what was a county in its own right until 1974.

Many were concerned at the impact on the wider West Suffolk, including such important historical towns including, Newmarket, Clare and Sudbury, all of which would be further removed from access to local records. As a result, all would be disadvantaged due to the cost of travel and the patchy and often unreliable public transport.

Digitisation is put forward as a way that more people can access the archives, but this will not happen overnight and many people are not comfortable with technology. It was also pointed out that researchers often need to see the original document, not digital versions.

West Suffolk Council again offered space at their Western Way buildings to house the archives along the lines of a previous agreement with Suffolk County Council.

The meeting considered and overwhelmingly approved a course of action prepared in advance. In a submission to the Suffolk County Council it states that due to the short time frame before the Suffolk County Council budget meeting on February 15, there can be no real scrutiny of the proposed centralisation of archives in Ipswich, the alleged savings, or an investigation of alternative solutions unless that decision is delayed.

Whatever the eventual outcome, The Bury Society has showed once more that it will bring local residents together to fight for their heritage in the best way. Making large organisations aware of our views is as important as the final outcome. Together, as smaller organisations and individuals, we can make our voices heard more effectively. If you want to know more about threats to your local heritage and what you can do to prevent them, you should consider joining us.

For details of the society and membership, see our website www. burysociety.com