Manx National Heritage needs good listeners for a sound heritage project.

’Listening Volunteers’ are required to listen to voice recordings from the island’s past, part of ’Unlocking Our Sound Heritage’, a UK project to preserve and provide access to thousands of rare and unique sound recordings.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and led by the British Library, Unlocking Our Sound Heritage aims to digitally preserve almost half a million endangered sound recordings from across the UK and the Isle of Man.

Since October last year National Museums Northern Ireland (NMNI) has been digitising the reel-to-reel, vinyl, cassette tapes and CDs from the Manx National Heritage Library and Archives. Digital sound files are now being sent to MNH for the contents to be heard and catalogued online.

Recordings range from the early 1900s through to the 2000s, mainly oral histories of Manx people and others talking about fishing, farming, childhood, their lives and places in the early 1900s.

Second World War internees also relate their experiences in camps here and Douglas Prom hoteliers talk of the island’s holiday heyday.

Recordings include early Manx language recordings and Manx speakers are needed to hear and unlock these recordings.

Current listening volunteer Janice Quilliam said: ’From the interviewee’s descriptions, I can picture Peel and compare it to the place I know now. The history of Peel is one of my interests so it is wonderful to hear, rather than just read about it.

’Hearing the interviewee’s memories of what he and his friends got up to and his joy as he tells the stories is so lovely. He fondly talks of going to the Albert Hall cinema for tuppence to watch silent films in 1918 when he should not have even been there! How wonderful to hear it from someone who was really there.

’The task is so easy to do at home on your computer, with a cup of tea, typing up key points while immersing yourself in the speaker’s voice,’ she added.

Volunteering is done entirely from home and volunteers will need access to a computer, e-mail and Microsoft Word.

No special software or knowledge is required, just a keen ear and a love of listening to stories.

Sound recordings are emailed to volunteers to download, along with a Word document in which to type a ’content summary’ of each recording. Volunteers are also sent a short guide on how to write a content summary and the project team at MNH can assist if needed.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer in 2021, or just want to find out more, e-mail the team at MNH at [email protected] or call 648072.