Hannah Stamp

Written By Deborah Mason

Nomination:

This application refers to Hannah’s substantial achievements in outreach and engagement at the East Riding Archives and Local Studies (ERA) using the “East Riding Archiverse” – an initiative that has transformed contemporary collecting and youth engagement at ERA by harnessing creative outreach that empowers young people to share their lived experiences and add their voices to the historic record.

Hannah has worked as Archivist at East Riding Archives since May 2020 and was previously Archives Assistant from 2015 to 2020. Hannah is the lead Archivist for outreach and engagement at ERA and is part of the service’s Management Team. In 2025, the Archive Service Accreditation panel noted in their report that they “congratulated the archive service on…their creative outreach offer.”

Hannah holds BA History of Art (2012), MSc Digital Heritage (2014), and MLitt Archives and Records Management (2019) all achieved with First Class and Distinction. She further holds a Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management, Level 3 Award in Education and Training, and is the First Aider for the Archives Service. These qualifications enable Hannah to support others both personally and professionally.

Prior to joining ERA, she was an Archives Trainee with The National Archives, seconded to the Hull History Centre from 2014 to 2015 under the NLHF-funded Transforming Archives scheme. Hannah’s passion stems from her MSc in Digital Heritage which inspired her to use videogame technologies and playful learning to engage underrepresented audiences with archives.

The East Riding Archiverse

On an ongoing basis, since 2021, Hannah has spearheaded the “East Riding Archiverse”, an

interactive learning experience solely created by her using the Minecraft Education videogame.

The East Riding Archiverse (hereafter referred to as the Archiverse) is a digital learning platform and tool for contemporary collecting. It features a fully explorable 3D recreation of the Champney Treasure House, home of the East Riding Archives, enabling participants to learn about the work of the Archives. Participants become “History Makers”, using the virtual world to document their lived experiences through 3D creations and digital journals. Each creation is accessible to others within the Archiverse and is also archived in the East Riding Archives as part of its digital collections.

The Archiverse has been a focal point in three ongoing East Riding Archives projects:

  • “East Riding Blockdown”: contemporary collecting of Covid-19 experiences. 2022-present

  • “Travellers and Settlers in the East Riding” : celebrating diversity in the East Riding community, past and present. 2023- present

  • “Archiverse Minecraft” : supporting general community events, Heritage Open Days, and home-schooled pupils. 2022-present

Using the Archiverse for outreach and engagement, Hannah has:

  • Developed a successful youth-engagement and contemporary collecting tool and programme that is now embedded into usual service delivery

  • Created a permanent legacy for children’s lived experiences through two dedicated archive collections (ERBP – East Riding Blockdown Project; and ERTS – East Riding Travellers and Settlers Project) now available for future generations.

  • Worked with 369 young people, age 5-15, to share their lived experiences.

  • Worked with 6 primary schools.

  • Delivered 23 events.

  • Worked with 15 project partners

In conclusion, Hannah’s work through the East Riding Archiverse demonstrates a sustained commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and excellence in archival practice. By combining digital creativity with meaningful community engagement, she has not only transformed how young people interact with archives but has also ensured that their voices are preserved as part of the historical record. Her leadership, vision, and dedication have embedded outreach at the heart of service delivery at East Riding Archives, leaving a legacy for both current participants and future generations. Hannah’s achievements clearly exemplify the impact and forward-thinking approach this award seeks to recognise.

Supporting Evidence

The East Riding Blockdown project (2022 onwards)

As Project Lead, Hannah secured a £4,500 grant from The Audience Agency as part of their National Lottery Heritage Fund (NHLF)-funded programme, ‘Opening Archives’. This funding supported the launch of the East Riding Blockdown Project, which aimed to collect and

preserve young people’s experiences of the Covid‑19 pandemic.

Using the Archiverse on laptops and tablets, Hannah delivered a series of school-based workshops and community drop-in sessions across the East Riding of Yorkshire, involving over 120 children age between 5-15. Hannah also delivered sessions with the Teenage Reading Group at Beverley Library and delivered workshops at ‘Tech Week Humber’ in Kingston upon Hull.

During school sessions, groups of up to 20 pupils participated in collaborative, multiplayer exploration of the Archiverse. These sessions encouraged teamwork, creativity, and digital citizenship. Participants documented their lockdown experiences through 3D creations alongside written narratives, providing a unique and personal record of life during the pandemic.

Each contribution has been formally archived within the East Riding Archives under the catalogue reference ERBP (East Riding Blockdown Project Records) ensuring a lasting legacy for future generations. A curated selection of these experiences has also been showcased in the East Riding Archives’ online-exclusive exhibition ‘Collecting COVID-19’, curated by Hannah.

Travellers and Settlers (2023 onwards)

Working in collaboration with East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Policy Team (Equality & Diversity remit) and East Riding Museums, Hannah utilised the Archiverse for the Travellersand Settlers project’s youth engagement strand. This ongoing project aims to celebrate the lived experiences, past and present, of the settlement and resettlement of communities across the East Riding.

Following a similar format to the East Riding Blockdown Project, Hannah delivered school-based workshops, working predominantly with East Riding schools that have a higher proportion of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds.

To date, the stories of over 60 pupils have been contributed to the East Riding Archives via Archiverse and are now available under the catalogue reference ERTS (East Riding Travellers and Settlers Project).

Pupils’ work created within the Archiverse has also been featured in the project’s travelling exhibition, which has so far been hosted at Goole Library, Withernsea Customer Service Centre, and the Champney Treasure House in Beverley. The exhibition is scheduled to be displayed at Sewerby Hall, near Bridlington, in summer 2026.

Archiverse Minecraft (2022 onwards)

As an effective method of engaging younger audiences, Hannah continues to utilise the Archiverse as a core offer at community events held at the East Riding Archives, as well as at external venues across the county such as libraries and sports halls.

In April 2025, Hannah hosted a home-educated pupil with disabilities for a tailored session at the East Riding Archives, using the Archiverse as both a learning platform and a space for the pupil to document their responses to activities based on original archival material.

In September 2025, Hannah delivered a workshop as part of the national Heritage Open Days festival at East Riding Leisure Centre, Bridlington. The session encouraged local children to take pride in their town by exploring and celebrating buildings past and present.

Participants examined archival records and recreated local landmarks using the Archiverse. This event was highlighted by the national Heritage Open Days promotional team and was also featured on the Archives blog: ‘Block by Block’.

Achievements

Hannah’s use of Archiverse has had a transformational impact on the Archives service and its

relationship with younger audiences, as reflected in feedback:

  • “It was an absolute pleasure to have you in the school, the children were literally 'fizzing' afterwards about the whole experience.” Mrs Prutton, Headteacher, Springhead Primary School, Anlaby.

  • “Both Jack & Isabella thoroughly enjoyed the session, both talked non stop about it all… Thank you for taking the time to come in to school to do this, it’s very much appreciated by myself and the school.” Parent feedback.

  • “My little boy really enjoyed his session at the Treasure House. Thanks for taking the time to organise this in half term” Parent feedback.

  • “IT WORKS!! The kids absolutely love it – [Participant 4] is deeply impressed by the sheer scale of the project. First thing he said was 'that is one hell of a build!' And [Participant 3] had been exploring every room…It really is a very 29 impressive build, so creative and funny too. Personally, I love the fact that the manager keeps walking away.......................................................................... ! Congrats on a fab project. I hope it'll be a great success!” Parent feedback.

  • “I liked being able to talk about what I did during lockdown and write about it in the Minecraft book item, and that it will be held in the archives forever” Participant feedback.

The Archiverse has:

  • Helped to address a significant gap in the collections’ demographic representation. Prior to its introduction, the East Riding Archives held little to no records of children’s perspectives from 1129 to the present day. The Archiverse has enabled East Riding children to contribute their experiences to the historical record in their own words.

  • Engaged over 360 young people in learning about the work of the Archives in a fun, interactive way, while developing digital skills and connecting with the experiences of others.

Hannah’s work using the Archiverse has gained regional and national recognition:

Hannah has presented for three consecutive years (2024-2026) as a speaker on the Arts Council England and Local Government Association’s Senior Officer Leadership Programme in Digital and Innovation.

  • The East Riding Blockdown Project was featured by The National Archives in A Year inArchives 2022 as a case study in digital innovation.

  • The Travellers and Settlers Project was also selected as a North East England highlight in The National Archives: A Year in Archives 2025.

  • The East Riding Blockdown Project was recognised by the Local Government Association as an example of ‘innovation in local government’.

  • The Travellers and Settlers project has been celebrated as a key achievement in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s ‘Corporate Equality Plan 2024-2028’.

  • A peer-reviewed paper was published in the ‘Paper Trails’ BOOC journal by UCL Digital Press: ‘An ‘Archiverse’ of Stories: Using a Video Game as a Contemporary Collecting Tool’

  • Hannah presented at the ‘XRArchiving.London’ Conference at Kings College London.

  • The Archiverse has inspired other organisations such as the Heritage Trust Network to seek guidance from Hannah.

  • Lisa Featherstone of TechAbility has featured the Archiverse as a case study in her series of videos on the use of digital tools for adults with learning difficulties.

  • Other East Riding of Yorkshire Council departments have also enquired about the use of videogames to engage young people with their work, including Economic Development Services and Coastal Communities teams.

  • The East Riding Blockdown project was used as a case study by East Riding of Yorkshire Council as a successful example of generating social value impact in the East Riding.

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