THE HISTORY of Kidderminster's carpet industry will be the subject of a lecture being held as part of a national campaign to encourage more people to use historical archives.

Titled Kidderminster Isn't Losing Its Memory, the lecture will be given by Chris Pickford, a consultant archivist at the Carpet Museum Trust's Archive Centre.

Mr Pickford will examine the carpet industry archives, discuss the importance of preserving them and explain what the centre is doing to preserve their sources.

The lecture is one of more than 400 events taking place throughout the UK during the Archives Awareness Campaign.

This campaign has been co-ordinated by the National Council of Archives with support from the National Archives and the Museums Libraries Archives Council.

It will run until December and aims to show that everyone can find something that is relevant to their history in archives.

The talk is on Thursday, November 18 and there will be an admission charge.

Other events being held for the campaign include an exhibition at Kidderminster Library, which is open until Friday, December 3. There will also be displays of the carpet industry archives from the Carpet Museum Trust Archives Collection at Castle Mill Buildings, New Road.

That will be followed by a family history fair - Who Do You Think You Are? - hosted by BBC Hereford and Worcester and Worcestershire Record Office at Kidderminster Town Hall on Saturday, December 4 from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

Anyone interested in the carpet industry archives can visit the Friends of the Carpet Museum Trust's museum at New Meeting Church in Church Street. More information on the Carpet Museum Trust is available on 01562 69001.