The role
We are looking for two volunteer researchers to join an ‘investigative team’ at Derbyshire Record Office for WORK Records, a creative heritage project exploring historic working lives across the East Midlands.
Please see more information about the project below.
Our volunteer researchers will be key members of the WORK Records project community, working with artist animator Kate Anderson and the team at Derbyshire Record Office, to explore the Robinson and Sons Ltd collection at Derbyshire Record Office, investigating the untold stories of working lives in the East Midlands.
We are looking for volunteers with a keen interest in heritage, visual arts and local community, who would be interested in sharing their knowledge and research skills to contribute to an exciting creative heritage project in the East Midlands.
As the project progresses, additional volunteering opportunities may become available to support the WORK Records public engagement programme in 2026.
This volunteer opportunity is offered by Animate Projects in collaboration with Derbyshire Record Office and Junction Arts.
We are looking for volunteers who would be able to commit at least half a day (4 hours) per week to the research phase of the project from September 2025 to January 2026. This is a volunteer, unpaid role, but we can contribute to travel and subsistence costs.
This volunteer role may be of particular interest to you if you have:
- A keen interest in sharing your knowledge and research skills to contribute to a creative heritage project in your local area.
- Local history knowledge about, or a personal connection with the family firm of Robinson and Sons Ltd. of Chesterfield.
- An interest in working collaboratively with our project community of artists, historians, heritage and arts professionals.
- Strong research, analytical and creative skills and a flexible approach to adapt to changing project priorities.
What you might be doing as a WORK Records volunteer researcher:
- Working closely with heritage professionals and our project artist to research the archive collection of Robinson and Sons Ltd at Derbyshire Record Office.
- Following guidance from our project historian, searching, handling, logging and referencing archival documents and information appropriately, highlighting interesting or unusual archival material relevant to the project.
- Supporting our project artist to research particular aspects of the archive as required.
- Examining historical documents, photographs, maps and other archival materials firsthand.
- Conducting online research, using databases, digital archives and other online resource to gather information.
- With training, conduct or support oral history interviews with individuals who have local history knowledge relating to the project.
- Gathering, organising and presenting your research findings in a clear and useable format to share with the project artist and wider project team.
- Sourcing and selecting images, making sure to note copyright and permissions information as advised by our project historian.
- Meeting regularly with the wider project community (online and in person) to update on your research progress and share your research findings.
- As the project progresses, additional volunteering opportunities may become available to support the WORK Records public engagement programme (January 2026 onwards).
Location and access
Our WORK Records volunteer researchers will primarily be based onsite at Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock, but opportunities for remote working may be possible on occasion.
Travel and subsistence expenses will be covered for volunteer researchers, including those travelling between Chesterfield and Matlock.
Derbyshire Record Office is fully accessible, with an accessible toilet, three disabled spaces in the on-site car park and an exterior ramp to the building. Please note the building is located on a very steep hill close to the centre of town and may be more difficult to access on foot by those with mobility issues.
Time commitment and expectations
Derbyshire Record Office is open to researchers between Tuesday and Friday, 9.30am-5pm. We are looking for volunteers who would be able to commit at least half a day (four hours) per week to the research phase of the project from September 2025 to January 2026.
Volunteers would ideally be available for a first onsite meeting at Derbyshire Record Office on Tuesday 9 September, 11am-12.30pm.
Research will primarily be carried out onsite at Derbyshire Record Office, with a focus on researching primary material (e.g. paper, photographs), but there may be opportunities for remote working on occasion.
Computer access at Derbyshire Record Office is limited, so it would beneficial (but not essential) for volunteers to have access to their own PC or laptop for online research.
As the project progresses, we hope to make additional volunteering opportunities available to support the WORK Records public engagement programme (January 2026 onwards).
As a project volunteer for Animate Projects, we would ask that you represent the WORK Records project in a manner that aligns with our code of conduct, a copy of which will be provided.
Support to help with the role
This volunteer opportunity is offered by Animate Projects in collaboration with Derbyshire Record Office and Junction Arts. As project partners, we will offer you the support you need to carry out your volunteer role.
We will:
- Introduce you to the WORK Records project and explain your role within it.
- Introduce you to project artist Kate Anderson, Derbyshire Record Office, and the wider project community to encourage a positive and supportive volunteering experience.
- Offer induction, support and relevant training with named colleagues, on-site and online.
- Provide information about the work, policies and procedures of project partners (Animate Projects, Derbyshire Record Office and Junction Arts).
- Provide access to the archives and space for you to research at Derbyshire Record Office.
- Provide training, as required, to conduct or support oral history interviews.
- Respect and listen to your feedback, and keep you informed of any changes.
- Reimburse your travel expenses as agreed.
- Ensure you are treated in accordance with the Equal, Diversity and Inclusion policies of the project partners, copies of which will be provided.
- Aim to provide a safe working environment in accordance with Health and Safety policies of both project partners, copies of which will be provided.
- Strive to resolve any concerns fairly and reasonably, applying our complaints procedure when needed.
How to apply
If you have any questions, please email workrecords@animateprojects.org
Please email your expression of interest to Vicky Washington at workrecords@animateprojects.org
by noon on Sunday 17 August, briefly outlining your motivations for applying, your interest in the project and any relevant experience. Please also let us know if you have any access requirements.
We will carefully review all applications and reserve the right to select volunteers that best match our current needs, whose capabilities and interests most closely align with project aims.
About WORK Records
WORK Records is an 18-month creative heritage project exploring historic working lives across the East Midlands.
It brings together ‘investigative’ teams of heritage curators, historians, artists, current and former workers and volunteers, to explore the holdings of three heritage collections – Derbyshire Record Office, Corby Heritage Centre and John Smedley Archive – and discover what they can tell us about working lives at three family firms: John Smedley at Lea Mills, packaging firm Robinson and Sons in Chesterfield, and steel manufacturer Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd in Corby.
The project artists will make short films will literally animate these important, untold stories of the significance, ideas, realities, and contemporary resonance of regional family firms, bringing heritage stories to life in an accessible and engaging way.
The films will be the catalyst for live and online events connecting contemporary workers and families with their historic counterparts. An online resource will document the project and host discoveries, increasing access to the collections, demonstrating the importance of heritage and how it resonates with how we live today.
Alongside the archive collections, Animate is working with arts organisations Junction Arts in Chesterfield and Fermynwoods Contemporary Art in Northamptonshire, the history team at the University of Derby, and Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
WORK Records is made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, and is also supported by Arts Council England.
Image: YSP Media