Winner of the 2007 Web Award

Winner of the 2007 Web Award: Sussex Family History Group

The Federation of Family History Societies awarded this year’s Web Award to the Sussex Family History Group whose webmaster is Alan Stoner. This annual award is sponsored by ABM Publishing Ltd and the £100 cheque was presented to Mark Richardson, the society’s chairman, by Colin Chapman at the Federation’s General Meeting at Durham.

There were 30 entrants and this year there was a larger number of sites worthy to be Commended or Highly Commended. This year’s results are as follows:

First Place: Sussex FH Group (webmaster, Alan Stoner)

Second Place: Buckinghamshire FHS (webmaster, Dave Foster)

Third Place: Essex FHS (webmaster, Colin Smith)

Congratulations to the winner and runners up.

For details of how your society can enter for next year’s Web Award please go to www.ffhs.org.uk

Elizabeth Simpson Award

The winner of this year’s Elizabeth Simpson Award is North Cheshire FHS whose journal is The North Cheshire Family Historian.

Derek Wray, chairman of the winning society, was presented with the shield by Colin Chapman at the FFHS General Meeting at Durham.

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