Did you know that Thurrock has a Museum? I should know because I’m lucky enough to work in it! If you ever fancy a visit, it’s tucked away on the 1st floor of the Thameside building, Orsett Road, Grays. The building is also home to the library and theatre. The Museum began collecting things from the Thurrock community in the early 1900s and my latest estimate is that we have around 30,000 items! Each object in our collection helps to weave together the story of Thurrock, from the settlement at Mucking in the East of Thurrock, inhabited since the late Stone age, the building of Tilbury Docks in the late 1800s to more modern chapters, such as the development of the Dartford tunnel and later the QEII bridge. Sometime in the 2000’s though, our stores became full and we have had to stop collecting for now. My dilemma then was, how do we continue to record Thurrock’s story if we can’t take in any new objects? And this is where the ‘Sharing our Lives’ project came in. This project aims to collect stories of migration into Thurrock which, although a feature of Thurrock’s history since time immemorial, this most recent wave has shaped the community in a major way. These stories can be stored digitally and therefore don’t take up much space so it was a ‘no brainer’ for me to get involved. It also meant that I could start connecting with people in the Thurrock community who wouldn’t necessarily know about the Museum. As the focus of this project is story collecting, the first objective was to attend some oral history training. The training was incredibly useful with lots of tips on how best to help people to share their stories, the main take-home message being; say as little as possible and listen, which is harder than you’d think! I’ve helped to collect stories from the people attending Grays Gurdwara and it’s been very insightful, not only learning about a different culture but also realising that we all face the same basic challenges. I also got the chance to experience the wonderful hospitality and great food! A bonus of the whole experience was the opportunity to visit The National Archives at Kew, where we were treated to a tour of the stores, which was fascinating. We also got to see the original passenger list for the Windrush. For me, volunteering with the Sharing Our Lives project has been an opportunity to learn new skills and get to know people in the community that I otherwise wouldn’t usually meet. I’m hoping that it’ll be a first step of many towards making the museum more relevant to its current community and continuing to chronicle the story of Thurrock. Michelle Savage Museum Officer, Thurrock Council Discover the stories at www.sharingourlives.co.uk.