HISTORY enthusiasts in Gloucestershire have been handed a grant to help preserve significant maps.

The Wotton-under-Edge Historical Society has received £800 from Persimmon Homes Severn Valley to keep items at the Museum and Heritage Centre in top condition.

The society has a collection of more than 11,000 artefacts donated by local residents since 1945, including many maps. The volunteers are looking to purchase a specialist A1 cabinet to store the maps.

The funding has come from Persimmon Homes’ long-running Community Champions scheme.

Haidee Jackson, of The Wotton-under-Edge Historical Society, said: “Our volunteers have worked hard during the lockdowns in support of the new digital museum database that tracks and traces every artifact location in the collection.

“During this process, many maps have been rolled or folded. To be conserved properly, they need to be stored correctly, and that’s where this new cabinet comes in.

“We are very grateful to Persimmon Homes for their help at a time when our usual funding activity has been heavily curtailed.”

Carly Spear, sales director at Persimmon Homes Severn Valley, said: “We’re delighted to be able to support the society with this grant. The volunteers work tirelessly to preserve these artifacts.”