VOLUNTEERS will be getting hands-on experience at Bolton History Centre with members of Bolton Family History Society as part of a fascinating archive project.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the town’s past will enjoy the “Explore Your Archive” campaign organised at Bolton Museum and Art Gallery.

There is an opportunity to index Bolton’s criminal past on Saturday November 18, and then from Monday November 20 through to Saturday November 25.

All sessions run from 10am to noon.

You can take on the role as an archivist for the morning by helping the experts create a name index to the early court records.

It is an opportunity to record the key information contained in these important records to help preserve and make the collection more accessible.

In the future these records could be incredibly helpful to people tracing their family history. There are many of us with skeletons in our closets and distant ancestors who appeared in court — often for what we would call very trivial things these days. From 2pm to 3pm on Saturday November 18 and then from Monday November 20 to Thursday November 23 there is a chance to take part in an “opening the box” record making.

This is where you will get the opportunity to delve into Bolton’s past with a selection of archive and local studies collections.

Each day experts will open a story box on a variety of different subjects or showcase specific collections “which are useful resources for family, local or social historians.

“The collections on display will illustrate Bolton’s heritage through photographs, diaries, letters, minute books, newspapers, posters and architectural drawings,” explains collections’ access officer Caroline Furey, from Bolton Libraries and Museums Service.

On Saturday November 18 a history of Bolton Library and Museum will be explored, on Monday November 20 vehicle licensing records, Tuesday November 21, illegitimacy records, Wednesday November 22 a history of Bolton’s theatres, Thursday November 23 500 years of religion, Friday November 24 workhouse creed registers and Saturday November 25 records of crime and punishment.