HSBC Bank Malta employees have been volunteering to work at the Notarial Archives in Valletta to help with the conservation of historical documents. Since July, HSBC employees have volunteered over 300 hours of work and have taken over 27,000 photographs to help digitise the volumes collection.
This initiative is part of a Volunteer Leave Day scheme recently introduced by the HSBC Malta Foundation to give staff at HSBC the opportunity to volunteer for work in one of the three main areas the foundation is active in: disadvantaged children, heritage and the environment. To date, over 200 employees have participated in the scheme. Participants are entitled to a day of paid leave annually to carry out voluntary work at a charitable or community organisation.
The HSBC Malta Foundation has a long association with the Notarial Archives and is currently supporting the digitisation and conservation of the historic volumes collection, the earliest of which dates back to 1467. Many of the volumes have been damaged by years of neglect. A preservation plan is now under way to prevent further damage, but the programme requires significant manpower and financial backing. Structural work on the conservation of the building which houses the volumes has also been completed with the help of the HSBC Malta Foundation.
HSBC Malta CEO Alan Richards said: “The restoration work of the notarial archives has been something that HSBC has taken an active interest in for a number of years. We’ve recently launched a volunteer leave scheme that gives our staff the opportunity to work with programmes supported by the HSBC Malta Foundation. Since July, HSBC staff has worked in helping to digitise this unique treasure for the benefit of future generations. We are delighted to be able to support the dedicated team so ably led by Joan Abela and Francesca Balzan.”
Visiting the Notarial Archives to thank HSBC employees for the invaluable work they are carrying out, Jason Azzopardi, Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Land, noted the excellent relations between the HSBC Malta Foundation and the Notarial Archives which goes back several years and which has always been fruitful.
“This initiative merits praise as it is positive on a lot of levels. It shows a productive collaboration between a private entity like HSBC Bank and the government, which is the result of commitment and social responsibility. It also opens another window of acknowledgement on the Notarial Archives which are a gem to a wider public,” said Dr Azzopardi.
Dr Azzopardi and Mr Richards were accompanied by HSBC Malta Foundation directors H.E. Louise Stanton, Maurice de Giorgio and Josef Camilleri.