www.achievements.co.uk
The Achievements of Canterbury web site outlines all the various services that the company, one of the premier research organizations in the world, can offer to those individuals who are interested in obtaining more information in the areas of genealogy, heraldry, family history and related artwork. In existence since 1961, the staff at Achievements, Ltd. consists of prominent researchers who have completed numerous courses of relevant study. Each has also conducted numerous research projects which have assisted many people with their searches for answers to their most pressing family history questions.
The site is easy to navigate. It is uncluttered and is neatly organized. To receive assistance from the professionals at Achievements, Ltd. visitors to the web site need only complete the appropriate assistance request forms and submit them. Since the forms request the applicant to submit as much family history as is known, and in some cases this can be extensive, the system allows the applicant to create an account where the incomplete application forms can be saved and stored. When ready to resume work on the application, the account need only be accessed. Once the forms are completed and submitted, a quotation for the costs of the family history research project will be promptly returned via email. If the quotation is accepted, a contract is created and work will then commence.
Visitors to this website can conduct a free search the company's various databases including archived cases, armigerous ancestors, Gretna Green files, London marriages and trade directories in an effort to determine whether or not the databases contain any information that is pertinent to the visitor's search. If pertinent information is located, the visitor will have to pay a nominal fee to retrieve the information from the appropriate databases.
The web site offers other services as well. Visitors can purchase Coats of Arms certificates and plaques. They can find out more about DNA testing and ways it can help in the family history search. Tours can be arranged by the company which can take people back to the areas where their ancestors once lived. There is also a helpful area called Got Stuck? This area is for those individuals who have conducted a family history research project of their own but have run into a dead end. The person can provide a summary of research that has been conducted so far, submit this information to the company, and a staff member will get back in touch with the person with ideas for successfully resuming their search. Another great feature is the ability to create a book, a booklet or an article from the results of the family research project, complete with pictures if desired. All of these services are of course offered for a price.
Many of the staff members have also been involved in several television productions and each of these shows is described in detail under the section titled, Media.
The web site also lists contact information, their payment policy, operating hours of their physical location in Canterbury, a way to edit an account, and links to other related web sites.
Anyone who is seeking a professional to assist with the research into their family history should visit the Achievements, Ltd. web site.