Ulster Historical Foundation is a unique organisation, established in 1956 to be a bridge for the diaspora to reconnect with this island through family and local history.

A self-sustaining educational non profit and registered charity, we offer a range of services to enable family historians everywhere to engage with their heritage and make a lasting connection to the home of their ancestors.

This Giving Tuesday Ulster Historical Foundation will be running a small campaign to help develop our Volunteer and Seminar Suite.

Since 2003 the Foundation has worked with organisations such as NOW Group, New Horizons, Mencap and the Cedar Foundation providing volunteering opportunities for individuals. Our volunteers come from a variety of social and economic backgrounds and many battle various physical and mental health issues.

We also provide volunteering opportunities for students and sixth form pupils, retirees, those not employed and individuals seeking to broaden their skill base or return to paid employment.

Our volunteers contribute in a meaningful way to the activities and work of the Foundation. Through analysing and documenting useful information from primary sources and compiling genealogical databases, much of the work that our group works on helps bring to light genealogical records and obscure historical documents that have immense value to family historians across the world. In addition, given the global audience for genealogy and Irish/Scots-Irish heritage this work also helps contribute to a greater awareness of, and respect for, Northern Ireland’s shared history and strengthens connections with this place through people’s heritage and their ancestors.

Since 2003 more than 40 dedicated volunteers, several of whom have been with us for 15+ years, have helped to transcribe more than 550,000 records and make them available for family history researchers across the globe!

Volunteering with the Foundation has brought them many rewards personally: helping them to get back into employment, advancing their skillset or career, keeping active and healthy, making new friends and learning more about our history.

Unfortunately, due to the recent pandemic we had to limit the in-person placements that we could offer to our volunteers which impacted their lives and well-being, and their ability to support our work. Now that the world has opened up again we want to welcome back our old friends to our offices and create opportunities for new volunteers to become more involved with the Foundation – and the creation of a Volunteer and Seminar Suite is key to being able to do so.

https://www.ancestryireland.com/giving-tuesday-2022/