In The Spotlight: Callum Walker
“Heritage is an important part of who we are, even if it’s not always at the forefront of people’s minds.”
Hi Callum! Can you tell us about your career journey leading up to and during your time at the council?
I graduated in 2019 with an MA in English, focusing on Medieval Literature. After that, I worked a variety of jobs in the theatre industry, libraries, and education throughout the pandemic. Generally, the parts of my career that I enjoyed most were times when I was directly interacting with people, whether that was students in a college or producers in a theatre.
The archive sector is very small, so I felt very lucky to get a role within my county record office. Since starting, I’ve been gradually expanding the scope of the archive’s outreach work each year, taking on more responsibilities with our partners.
Do you have any interests outside of work? Did you consider any of these a potential future career?
I have a range of creative hobbies — I used to work as a street performer for many years when I needed flexibility but gradually stopped as I eventually got into ‘real’ jobs. I play a few instruments still (bodhrán, ukulele, and singing) but it’s nice to be playing now without worrying about earning a living! I still work as a freelance writer and this fits around my job at the council. I find that having this creative background is a massive benefit to my role in the archive.
So, a variety of different interests then! What’s your current role, and what kind of work are you involved in?
I work as the Community Engagement Officer for Buckinghamshire Archives. As an archive, we look after over 800 years of documents, covering Paralympic history, the development of Milton Keynes, and thousands upon thousands of maps, journals, and photographs of the county’s rich history. My role is to bring the public to the collections and bring the collections out to the public. This involves exhibitions, social media, and events embedded in the community. It’s a wide-ranging position — one day I might be in front of a camera as a history expert, and the other I might be leading a school trip on a tour!
No other archive in the country has a dedicated Community Engagement Officer, and it’s been a massive success here in Buckinghamshire. I work to make sure our collections are more visible, more engaging, and more accessible. The role lets me use my creativity and passion for history in new and interesting ways to ensure everyone has a part in Buckinghamshire’s heritage.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
One of the most rewarding parts of my role is finishing the Buckinghamshire History Festival. This is an annual festival that’s been running for around a decade now, and since coming into the role I have expanded its scope and success. The festival celebrates the county’s heritage with a programme of events throughout November and is a huge work of collaboration between the archive and our partners around the county. There comes a point when the festival concludes, and I can look back on all the previous months of work and know that it was worth it!
And what sort of impact does your work have on the community?
My work is the most outward-facing of anyone in the archive. I work with departments across the council, so I really feel like I’m part of something bigger. Heritage is an important part of who we are, even if it’s not always at the forefront of people’s minds. I’ve directly seen the impact that an appreciation for their local heritage has on our residents through things like reminiscence events. Sometimes, viewing old photographs of their hometown is what’s needed to break through barriers between generations.
What’s the best thing about your team?
The archives team is a fairly small department with around ten members of staff. We’re a team of specialists — some people are experts in Latin, others are qualified conservators. Because of this, there’s a lot of collaboration within the team. Archivists might find something perfect for social media when researching an enquiry and bring it to me, or I might need the insight of our Collections team when working on a new project. Because of how unusual our jobs are, we’re a very close-knit team who can rely on each other.
How have you been supported since you joined the council?
I’ve been supported with a wide range of training and career development from within my team and beyond, ensuring that I’ve been able to do the best that I can when it comes to looking after our heritage.
Finally, what would you say to someone considering a career at Buckinghamshire Council?
Go for it! I felt very supported in adapting my skillset for a new career, and my non-archive background has ended up being one of my biggest strengths when it comes to working within the sector. We’re a large organization, so there’s a role to match every passion, level, and expertise.
Looking for a new role? Check our current council vacancies here: https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/
