Take an active part!

The Survey of Lincoln welcomes anyone who is interested in the older places and buildings within the present city boundaries, surviving or no longer visible. Many of our members are fascinated by the city's past and enjoy attending talks (usually twice a year, in November and June) and reading the results of research by others which we publish in our newsletter The Lincoln Enquirer (usually late May and late October) and our booklets - one is usually published in November.

Other members play a more active role by joining the Executive Committee (which meets about four times each year for about two hours maximum). The Committee includes the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Booklet Editor, and others without defined roles. These people help to run the group, arrange the talks, answer enquiries from the public, and provide the publications. The Committee needs to remain a manageable size but there are often opportunities for members to join it, usually at the Annual General Meeting in June.

The recent project to upload the 1828 Valuation of Lincoln needed teamwork - and an ongoing element remains available for research if you have the necessary time and interest. We are trying to map the position of each entry in the 1828 survey - this will help historians and also assist archaeologists working on city development plots. The work will probably take years, but a very small start has been made. Would you like to research a small part of the city for this? It will usually need research at Lincolnshire Archives - we can advise you the sorts of documents to study.

You do not need to be on the Committee to offer the written results of your own study to the editor of the newsletter or the editor of the booklets. Space is often limited and not every piece is published - and do not be surprised if you are asked to alter your contribution. We have a wide range of interests within our group and we like to see a varied range of topics in the newsletter. It can help to be concise - a half-page article may be accepted much sooner than a longer one!

If you prefer not to write but are happier to present a short talk at one of our meetings, please get in touch. Some members have hearing difficulty, so a clear voice and an interesting Lincoln history subject are the important requirements!

At intervals, members may seek help with their research. Let us know if you would like to volunteer your time and/or skills. Ask us if anyone is interested in helping with your study.

Organising group-led activities take time and patience and The Survey of Lincoln has had few offers in the past years. Some of our members have learnt building recording techniques with the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology's group RUBL instead.

Possibly you are skilled at social media methods such as Twitter and Facebook, or website management. It would help us to attract more members and increase local awareness of our work if you could assist with these - and retweets/likes/mentions and links are always helpful. Remarkably few Lincoln residents know about our work - we can use your help in spreading word of our booklets and website.

If you have transport, perhaps you could offer to help with infrequent delivery of newsletters or the delivery of small booklet orders to Lincoln bookshops.

Many different ways to make a difference - just choose! Thank you.