A NEW campaign to connect people using an interest n history has been launched.

'History Begins at Home’ is a national campaign which aims to connect people through conversations about history and to capture and then share these conversations, memories and stories through the campaign’s Facebook page and Twitter.

History Begins at Home is being supported locally by the Powys County Council Archive Service.

The idea behind the campaign is to encourage family members of different generations to connect or re-connect by discovering previously unknown facts or family stories, sharing memories, experiences and expertise, and then capturing these conversations and findings for the future.

Gary Tuson, County Archivist at Norfolk Record Office and Campaign Lead at History Begins at Home, said: “COVID-19 has created all sorts of challenges such as separation, isolation, hardship, the need for resilience, the power of community and the desire to help one another.

"History Begins at Home is the perfect antidote during this period when people can’t visit their family members due to the current restrictions. It’s a fun way to pass some time together on the phone, via FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp or other apps. And, with so much emphasis on mental health and well-being during the lockdown, the campaign is an ideal way for people to engage with the recommended ‘Five ways to wellbeing’: Connect, Give, Be active, Take Notice and Keep Learning.”

Cllr Rachel Powell, Cabinet Member for Young People and Culture, said: “We are excited to be part of the History Begins at Home campaign encouraging conversations about history and connecting with family members at home and digitally.

" Archives is currently closed due to coronavirus and contains a wealth of original records which can be used for family history research, but until we are able to open again this is a great way to share your research, memories and experiences online.”

Gary added: “History Begins at Home is a very timely initiative that will help individuals take small steps to re-ignite conversations with their families about the past. The campaign will initially focus on the past within families, with the goal of sparking discussions around aspects of childhood and adulthood across the generations, such as toys, food, precious things and memories.

"Each week, we’ll focus on a different theme about the past and encourage people to start a conversation about it, engage in an activity relating to it and then record something about it and, if they like, share what they’ve found out on our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/historybeginsathome and Twitter account – https://twitter.com/BeginsHistory.”

Getting involved in History Begins at Home is easy – start off by asking a relative for one of their old recipes and share it, find and share a picture of a family member’s favourite childhood toy, an old love letter (or a new one), or ask them about a funny, incredible, interesting, remarkable or obscure story or memory from their past.