As part of celebrations for the Millennium in 2000, Sheila and Ray Beswick put together an
exhibition about the history of Drinkstone. A call was put out for people to submit
documents, photographs and personal memories, and lots of information was collected.
After the exhibition, it was decided to preserve the material as an archive for the village, for
researchers and anyone interested.

Over the next few years, items were arranged under various headings and information
added, though there was no permanent home for the Archive. Valuable help was given by
Brian Cash, Finola Leary, Helen Steggles, Rex Plummer and Dave Woodward, among
others. When the new Village Hall opened in 2013, room was allocated for the collection to
be stored.

In late 2021, an archiving group was formed to expand the recording process, with support
and advice from Bury Records Office. This group of enthusiastic volunteers made good
progress and, in 2023, with the help of Tony Schmitt and the direction of Daphne Youngs,
the group began to create an accessible online catalogue for the whole collection.
Alongside the cataloguing, we have purchased museum quality storage boxes to
improve the storage and safe preservation of the collection, thanks to financial
support from the Drinkstone Educational Trust, Councillor Penny Otton’s Locality
Fund and the Drinkstone History Group.