Support VCH Derbyshire

Work on the Victoria County History in Derbyshire has been funded since its inception in January 2002 by the Derbyshire VCH Trust, a voluntary body established in 2001. The Trust is a registered charity (number 1098339).

In addition to its members' subscriptions, the trust receives considerable support from Derbyshire County Council, which is responsible for the Local Studies Libraries at Matlock, Chesterfield and across the county, the Derbyshire Record Office and the Derbyshire Museum Service. Several other local authorities in the county have also supported the trust with grants and subscriptions.

To find out how you could make a contribution to VCH Derbyshire, please contact the Trust's Treasurer, by email.

The Trust holds an annual general meeting, to which the officers report and which elects both the officers and a committee that meets about four times a year. The AGM, held in May or June each year, is combined with a public lecture by a leading local historian.  Trust members also receive regular issues of `Derbyshire VCH News'.

Since the autumn of 2002 the Trust has arranged a series of continuing education classes. These were first based at Chesterfield Library, on aspects of the history of north-eastern Derbyshire generally and continue and are well-supported. More of these 'local history workshops' have been established at Wirksworth and Matlock. Contact our County Editor for further details.

The Trust is also keen to develop links with Derbyshire schools, since local history forms part of the National Curriculum at Keystages 2 and 3. We hope in due course to help local teachers by producing short booklets or web-based material on aspects of Derbyshire local history, drawing on the information collected for VCH.

The County Editor, Philip Riden, will be delighted to give talks to local history societies and other organisations about the work of VCH in Derbyshire. In addition, Mr Riden can speak about his current research on the history of parishes in north-eastern Derbyshire and elsewhere.

The Trust is very keen to involve as many individuals and groups interested in local and family history in Derbyshire as possible in its work. To find out how you (or your society) can support the Trust by becoming a member, see the form below.

Monthly Prize Draw

Since 1998 the Trust's main fund-raising effort has been a monthly prize draw, in which members make a small regular payment (either £5 or a multiple thereof) into a pool, from which one-sixth of the receipts are paid out as a cash prize each month. At present, with about 200 members, the prize is £100.

The monthly draw has proved a simple, broadly based and successful means of raising money. Instead of relying on one-off donations from a limited circle of private and corporate sponsors, or expecting local authorities to meet the whole cost of its work, the trust has secured the support of a large number of individuals interested in local and family history in Derbyshire. These are people who are willing to set aside a small amount (little more than £1 a week) from their income to enter a competition in which they have a chance of winning a meaningful cash prize.

At the same time, the draw provides the Trust with a regular flow of money, from which it can meet the regular outgoing of a fee to help match-fund activities. 

The Trust's activities (including its continuing education work and support for local history in schools, as well as the basic research for new VCH volumes) could expand considerably if it could fund more editorial time. To do this, it needs more members.

We are therefore appealing through this website to everyone interested in Derbyshire's past, or who has family connections with the county, to consider supporting our work by joining the Derbyshire VCH Trust. In doing so, you will be helping to ensure the continuation (and expansion) of a well-established project of real merit and at the same time have a chance each month to win a worthwhile cash prize.

We should add that although we are keen to encourage more people to take part in the monthly draw, we also welcome subscriptions from anyone who would prefer not to take part in a lottery. Equally, while it is simpler for all concerned if subscriptions are paid by bank standing order, we would be happy to accept single yearly payments of £60 or £120 by cheque to cover twelve monthly stakes of £5 or £10.

If you would like to join the Derbyshire VCH Trust, please print off and complete the Membership Application Form below or contact the Trust's Membership Secretary, Cathrin Wharton, by email.