Quick links
Archived News Area
ONS To vacate Ground Floor FRC By 31 October, 2007
At the Family Records Centre User Consultative Group Meeting this week at the Family Records Centre (FRC) Myddelton Street, London, the Federation of Family History Societies representatives (Maureen Bullows and Geoff Riggs) were extremely disturbed to be informed that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will vacate the ground floor at the FRC by 31 October 2007.
From 31 October until the previously announced date of closure, the end of March 2008, access to the Indexes for Births, Deaths and Marriages will be on the first floor of the FRC on MICROFICHE only.
Ordering of certificates will be ONLINE only and there will be no provision for certificate collection.
The ONS and General Register Office (GRO) were left in no doubt by the unanimous protestations of the Family Records Centre User Consultative Group.
Full details and a copy of the Public Briefing paper can be found at:
www.ffhs.org.uk/archives/gro/briefing070725.php
Maggie Loughran
Administrator, Federation of Family History Societies www.ffhs.org.uk
NEW FamilyBlogs
Create your own blog at Family Tree and tell the world who you are!
Blogging at Family Tree will help you share your stories, blog about your research and discoveries, keep up to date with friends and share details of your family history research.
Click here to start your own blog today.
A Family Tree blog can be a personal diary of your own family history. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A research tool. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of your favourite Ancestry links. A collection of your own private thoughts. Even a photo album of your family and its history.
Your blog is whatever you want it to be. All we ask is that your blog deals in some way with the subject of Family History or Genealogy. Best of all, its Free, so why not click here to begin...
The Retirement Show
A unique new event for the 'Retirement Generation' has been officially launched - the first of its kind in the UK. The Retirement Show, which will take place at London's Olympia, 13-14 July 2007, is aimed not only those already retired or semi-retired, but at all those who aspire to retire, be they 49, 39 or indeed 29.
A variety of modern retirement-related themes will be covered at the show, including equity release options, property in the UK and abroad, inheritance tax planning, healthy living, companionship, insurance, travel and a wide range of hobbies. An interactive seminar programme will cover gardening, antiques and other topics of interest, while a dance floor will allow demonstrations (and participation) of both dancing and yoga.
Given that over 20 million people in the UK are over 50, and that the over-50s control over 80% of the UK's wealth, interest in The Retirement Show is expected to be high. Show director Dr Robert McCaffrey said "It's now common for even 30somethings to be looking forward to retirement - if it's defined as everyone retired, semi-retired, or aspiring to retire, then the 'Retirement Generation' covers practically everyone of post-school age. Those coming up to retirement and those already retired are going to be an increasingly important factor in the UK's economy in the next 30 years, as we begin to outnumber those in work. Wealth in later life doesn't just fall into your lap - you have to earn it, and you have to plan for it. It would also be rather annoying if you were to retire, and not be able to enjoy your 'Golden Years.' We all want to be healthier and wealthier, and I hope that The Retirement Show will help its visitors to live longer, happier and more affluent lives."
Free internet pre-registration for the show, via www.the-retirement-show.com, is a reflection of widespread internet use by the 'silver surfers.'
Who Do You Think You Are? Live
For family historians, the highlight of spring this year will be a three-day show at Olympia in London. Held over the May bank holiday weekend of 5-7 May, Who Do You Think You Are? Live is subtitled ‘The National History Show’, reflecting the fact that this will be more than a showplace for family history, but spreads across the related fields of social and military history, as well as the history of objects passed down the generations and of houses and other buildings.
We will be attending in full force at this event, Helen Tovey (Family Tree editor), Belinda Yallop (FTM assistant editor) and Faith Back (our new computer editor) will be attending on Saturday, Caroline Davis (Practical Family History editor), Marion Murray (PFH assistant editor), Bridgett Baker (Advertising) and Gill Rayment will be attending Sunday, Sue Fearn, Stephen Lambert (Designer), Helen Marriott will be attending on Monday.
Darren Marriott and our very own forum guru Mary Evans will be there most days. We will also have some amazing show offers in hand and we will be bring along some experts for you to question.
BBC History Series
Have you got curious objects with links to the past?
Or family heirlooms with a hidden history?
Would you like to find out the true story behind your possession?
lion Television is looking for cases for a brand new BBC history series that will reveal untold stories from Britain's past. Our team of history detectives will tap into the latest research techniques to get to the bottom of each history mystery.
If you think you've got an artefact with an interesting historical past please get in touch and our team will help you to sort out fact from fiction once and for all. If you are keen to take part in the series or would like to know more, please contact Rowan on:
Tel: 0141 331 5424 or email: History.Detectives@liontv.co.uk
Family Records Centre on the move
The National Archives and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have made a joint announcement about the provision of services to family historians as part of a review of strategy. The intention is to move its Family Records Centre (FRC) staff and services currently located at Myddelton Street, Islington, to The National Archives site at Kew by the end of 2008.
The FRC houses the civil registration indexes for birth, marriage and deaths as well as the historic census returns. Certificates can also currently be ordered at the FRC and collected if required.
James Strachan, Director of Public Services and Marketing for The National Archives said: We have already made most of our material housed at the FRC available online. We remain committed to providing high-quality services to family historians, and are therefore planning to develop new online services that reflect customers’ needs, and to integrate FRC onsite services at Kew during 2008. We will retain a dedicated family history service, and retain the jobs of our FRC staff in the new service at Kew.
Peter Murphy, Director of Registration Services at ONS said: The hard copy indexes of birth, death and marriage registration, which are available at the FRC, remain for now the resource enabling the Registrar General to meet her statutory obligation to make indexes available to the public. Clearly advances in technology now permit other approaches to providing public access and that is what our review will be concentrating on. We will work closely with National Archives colleagues in conducting the review and hope to be able to reveal its main conclusions by the autumn of this year.
Return to the Current News page
