The FODCRO is a voluntary organisation, formed in 2001 to promote and support the work of the Record Office.
Aims
- To promote and encourage public interest in the history of Durham County
- To promote the preservation, security and accessibility of relevant archival material
- To promote public awareness of the work of Durham County Record Office
- To support the Record Office in identifying and obtaining external funds for the benefit of users
- To assist the Record Office staff in the maintenance and improvement of archival services and facilities
- To co-ordinate voluntary help in support of the Record Office, in conjunction with the staff.
FODCRO Committee
FODCRO has a small but effective management committee which usually meets about five times a year at County Hall, Durham. The annual general meeting (AGM) is open and non-members are welcome to attend. All members have the opportunity to forward nominations to the AGM for officer posts and committee members.
To date we have not felt a need to apply for charitable status but will consider it when appropriate.
Support and fundraising
FODCRO has already contributed both voluntary efforts and funds towards increasing the accessibility of family history information within the Record Office.
We are often asked how much money we have contributed towards improving the services and collections in the Record Office since we came into existence in 2001.
The total sum up to 14 June 2021, when we passed our 20th anniversary, is £36,692. This includes:
- the purchase of original archive material
- new equipment, especially to promote digitisation
- our research project ‘No Longer the Enemy’, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The No Longer the Enemy project has researched the untold story behind the respite visits of groups of German children to Murton and Station Town/Wingate in 1949.
We are currently fundraising to assist with the purchase of the ‘Voyage of the Nereid’ journal for the Record Office. FODCRO has already bought or contributed to the purchase of several collections of records, including:
- Shafto family (of Bobby Shafto fame) diaries and scrapbooks
- Photographs of railway stations in the North East
- Pease family (of Darlington) papers
- Dryderdale Hall documents
- Londonderry papers, correspondence of Lord Burghersh.
After current funding commitments are taken into account our contributions will exceed £38,000, a magnificent effort by such a small organisation
We are determined to continually assist the Record Office and its staff in any way feasible. In doing so we will also assist the users of the data and services of the Record Office.
Membership
Our current membership, which extends as far afield as Australia and North America, is around 74. We are confident of our numbers continuing to grow as we are able to recruit again after the pandemic.
Newsletter
Every member receives a newsletter, currently issued twice a year and covering an excellent range of topics. A list of members’ interests is maintained on the FODCRO website and each member may submit interests of their own and, if they wish, submit items for the newsletter.
Annual subscription
Our annual membership subscriptions are currently:
| Type | UK Price | Overseas Price |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | £6.00 | £7.00 |
| Family | £8.00 | £9.00 |
| Organisations | £10.00 | £13.00 |
You can pay subscriptions by standing order.
Contact FODCRO
If you wish to join us, or make a donation to help our work, please make cheques payable to FODCRO and send them to:
FODCRO
c/o Durham County Record Office
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UL
Visit our website at www.fodcro.org/
