On Tuesday 21 January, the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (BMIHT) held a training day for volunteers participating in their ‘Aston Martin - A Century of Craftsmanship’ project. Aston Martin Works kindly hosted this event in their new Heritage building, formerly known to many as ‘Olympia’.

The ‘Aston Martin - A Century of Craftsmanship’ project is led by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust with generous support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Aston Martin Lagonda, Aston Martin Works, Aston Martin Heritage Trust and Aston Martin Owners Club. The aim is to bring together current and former Aston Martin employees, to tell the behind-the-scenes history of Aston Martin.

Current and former Aston Martin employees learnt about oral history and how to interview people using recording equipment. Roger Kitchen, an Oral History Society trainer and co-founder of the Living Archive in Milton Keynes introduced the day’s training by saying, “Everybody has a story to tell”.

The volunteers along with a similar group from Aston Martin Lagonda’s Gaydon headquarters will start by interviewing each other and then arrange interviews with people who are keen to share their stories of life at Aston Martin. The volunteer group will be supported by the Project team from the BMIHT Archive, where the recordings will be deposited for posterity, enabling future generations to learn about their industrial heritage.

The Heritage Motor Centre Gaydon near Warwick is currently hosting an ‘Aston Martin – A Century of Craftsmanship’ exhibition until December 2014. Admission to this new exhibition is included within the standard museum entry fees.

www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk