More than £200,000 of lottery funding has been awarded to the Norfolk Record Office to create community archives.

The grant will be used towards recruiting two community archivists to work across Norfolk for three years.

They will train people in archive skills, such as cataloguing their collections, digitisation and recording oral history interviews. This will mean people now and in the future can locate and consult historically important resources.

Margaret Dewsbury, cabinet member for communities and partnerships at the county council, said: "Local community groups are in an excellent position to identify archives relating to their local area or special interest. Without this, our community memories will fade and parts of Norfolk's heritage will be lost."

The new project will deliver training to 30 partners across the county who look after over five million unique photographs, sound recordings and other records, which date from the fifteenth century onwards.

As well as providing training, which will be published online for everyone to access, the project will acquire equipment for use by the partners. This will include acid free, archive quality packaging materials, digital sound recording equipment and digital photography kit.

Anne Jenkins, director, England: Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said; "Communities are heart and centre of keeping our heritage alive, and we're delighted that we can support this project to ensure the cultural memories of Norfolk are preserved and shared throughout the county.

"At The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we've identified community engagement as a priority for the next five years, and this project is a fantastic example of how our funding is empowering people to explore their local heritage and safeguard the important history that surrounds them."

Michael Chenery, chairman of Norfolk Records Committee said; "This project will ensure a wider range of historical resources are preserved and made publicly accessible now and for future generations."

The 30 named partners are;

-Acle Community Archive Group

-Aylsham Town Archive

-Bergh Apton Local History Group

-Blakeney Area Historical Society

-Brundall Local History Group

-Carleton Rode History Group

-Fakenham Local History Society

-Fakenham Community Archive

-Fakenham Museum of Gas and Local History

-Girlguiding Norfolk's Archive Resource Centre

-Hapton History Group

-Loddon and District Local History Group

-Martham Local History Group

-M&GN (Midland and Great Northern) Circle

-Mulbarton Heritage Group

-Museum 4 Watton

-Neatishead, Irstead and Barton Turf Community Heritage Group

-New Buckenham Society

-Newton Flotman and Saxlingham Thorpe Heritage Group

-Norfolk Polish Heritage Group

-Norfolk Wherry Trust

-The Reepham Archive

-St Seraphim Icon and Railway Heritage Museum

-Surlingham History Group

-True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum

-Voices of Hickling

-Wereham Heritage Group

-Wherry Yacht Charter Trust

-Wisbech and Fenland Museum

-Wreningham Heritage Group.