Community Archivist: Champs Camp Archive Project

Manchester Histories; Manchester; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Manchester Histories is seeking a highly motivated Community Archivist for a project preserving UK Black history through a unique archive of film, photography, and oral histories. Located at both MSBAA and the University of Manchester, this role offers an opportunity to impact the community and engage with significant historical narratives.

Qualifications

• Well-organised and highly motivated.
• Experience in community archiving preferred.
• Ability to work collaboratively with community partners.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the community archiving project.
• Preserve and make archival materials publicly accessible.
• Manage the digital archive and related collections.

Job description

We are seeking a well-organised and highly motivated Community Archivist to deliver this significant project.

Champs Camp was the first successful Black boxing gym in Britain, founded by Phil Martin, the UK’s first Black boxing trainer, manager, and promoter. Martin revolutionised British boxing during the 1980s and 1990s, introducing new training methods and transforming the lives of thousands of young men and boys across Greater Manchester. He challenged the public perception of Moss Side with guns and gangs, helping produce UK and world champions and establishing Manchester as a centre of the sport.

This project aims to preserve and make publicly accessible a significant yet largely unknown episode in UK Black history. Its legacy will include a unique archive of film, photography, posters, a wide-ranging oral history collection, and a permanent digital archive accessible to educators, activists, and the wider community.

This role is funded by a National Lottery Fund grant and is run by a partnership of the Moss Side Boxing and Athletics Association (MSBAA) and Manchester Histories, with support from staff at the University of Manchester in History and the Research Data Management Support Service. The position will be located at both MSBAA and the University of Manchester and managed by the Manchester Histories team.