The Scottish Council on Archives (SCA) will visit Lewis next month to celebrate the work of Comunn Eachdraidh Nis, this year’s recipient of the SCA Community Archive Award and featured community archive in SCA’sA Year in the Life 2025/26 project.
The annual initiative follows the work of a community archive over the course of a year through a series of monthly blogs, highlighting the vital role community archives play in preserving local history, language, memories, and culture.
Following on from last year’s success, SCA has also announced that Deaf History Scotland will be the featured community archive for 2026/27.
The visit takes place on 9 June and will begin with delivery of an oral history workshop at the Learning Room, Museum nan Eilean, Lews Castle, kindly supported by Tasglann nan Eilean. Volunteers from Comunn Eachdraidh Nis and other local historical societies will attend a day of training focused on oral history interviewing, digital preservation of recordings, and practical ways to protect and organise community memories for future generations.
The workshop will be delivered primarily in Gaelic by local historian, heritage practitioner, and PhD student Euan MacLeod. It has grown from conversations around the important Gaelic oral history collections held by Comunn Eachdraidh Nis and the shared challenges many community groups face in managing and developing their collections.
Later that day, from 5pm, the Scottish Council on Archives Community Archive Award ceremony will take place at Comunn Eachdraidh Nis. The award recognises the group’s longstanding contribution to preserving and sharing the history and culture of the local community.
This year’s award has been specially created by local artist and potter Sue Blair, making the presentation a celebration not only of community heritage, but also of local creativity and craftsmanship.
Audrey Wilson, Partnership and Engagement Manager at the Scottish Council on Archives, said: “Community archives are at the heart of preserving Scotland’s stories, and Comunn Eachdraidh Nis has shown the importance of local knowledge, Gaelic culture, and community-led heritage work. It feels especially meaningful to celebrate this in Ness itself, following on from a workshop focused on supporting future oral history work across the islands.”
The Scottish Council on Archives hopes the visit will help strengthen connections between Comainn Eachdraidh and encourage continued collaboration around Gaelic oral history, digital preservation, and community heritage.
For more information about A Year in the Life 2025/26 and the work of Comunn Eachdraidh Nis, visit the Scottish Council on Archives website: https://www.scottisharchives.org.uk/community-archives/a-year-in-the-life-of-a-community-archive-comunn-eachdraidh-nis-ness-historical-society/
