To All

I have just started a petition to get Gwent records office to abolish this ridiculous new charge they have introduced, on the use of personal cameras. http://www.petitiononline.com/brychan/petition.html I have also contacted all the M.P's & A.M's for Gwent who have assured me they would look in to the matter and have also asked for a copy of the minutes of the meeting where the decision was made.

I have also found out that 1 if not 2 representatives of the Gwent family history society was at this meeting, one being Mr Geoff Riggs, so as family historians and past, present and potential members of the society we would like to know what their postion was about this charge.

Using your camera at a public records office is the same as writing the information down on a notepad, new technology is to be welcomed especially when it makes life a lot more easier, for myself I have been able to photograph the parish records, take them home and then share the work of transcribing them with other family researchers. All these transcriptions can be found free on my website http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monfamilies/myfamily-history.htm So why charge someone for using their camera, you would not charge them for using a pencil, also will they bring in a charge for using laptops.

If you live in Gwent or even outside contact local M.Ps & A.M's and express your concern about this unfair charge. Contact Jessica Morden M.P mordenj@parliament.uk or Anthony Jermyn JERMYNA@parliament.uk her case worker who are looking in to the matter on my behalf.

Mike John