Keeping the story alive
The workplace pensions movement has been a quiet but powerful force for good in the UK. Here at the Pensions Archive Trust, we are committed to keeping that story alive and accessible for generations to come.
Behind the evolution of occupational pensions in Britain is a compelling story and an invaluable source of information. It has driven change for social good, enhancing later-life and providing financial security for millions of people. Managed properly, we see British business at its best.
In contrast, mismanagement has a huge social and economic cost. It is vital that future researchers, policy-makers and industry leaders can access reliable data from the pensions sector from which to draw insight from the lessons of the past and deploy the best of policy and practice.
This is why the work of the Pensions Archive Trust is so very important.”
President of PAT
About PAT
The Pensions Archive Trust exists to ensure that important information about occupational pensions is not lost to history, but is retained and accessible to any who may need to learn from the successes and failures of the past. We were formed in 2005 and first began archiving material with the London Archives two years later.
Discover more about our charitable goals, our history and the team of people working hard to preserve our collective knowledge of British pensions, both now and in the future.
Our Collections
At PAT, we maintain a secure and well-managed archive of records relating to all aspects of the occupational pensions industry in the United Kingdom. We operate in partnership with the London Archives, working to the highest ethical and professional standards of document archiving.
Businesses with pension records which might otherwise be destroyed on winding-up scheme amalgamation, or corporate reconstruction for example, can instead deposit those records in the Archive.
Learn more about the records we keep and explore how you can expand the archive material available to future historians.
Research and Education
Academic researchers who are interested in any aspect of public policy or corporate practice relating to workplace pensions will find something of interest in our collections. It’s free to visit our archive at the London Archives.
Learn more about how you can visit in person, request hard copy files or browse our growing collection of digitised information.
Support our work
As a charity, we rely on the generous support of volunteers and organisations to advance our work, and there are multiple ways to do this.
We invite businesses connected with the pensions industry to become Corporate Partners of PAT. We also welcome individual donations, either on a single or regular basis.
We are always looking for opportunities to share what we do, and to promote best practice in corporate pensions archiving through written articles, interviews, presentations, events or podcasts. If you can help spread the word, please get in touch.
Finally, we often seek volunteers for assistance with projects and events. Find out more about how you can help here.
Mission Statement
At the Pensions Archive Trust (PAT), our mission is to safeguard and celebrate the rich heritage of pensions and retirement planning so that we may learn from the past. Together with our supporters, and key stakeholders, we are steadfast in our pursuit of preserving the past, informing the present, and shaping the future of pensions through archival excellence whilst embracing modern techniques and technology wherever possible.
OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS
PAT is extremely grateful to these pensions organisations who generously support our work. Learn more about these organisations who share our mission of preserving pensions history here.
Find out how you can support PAT here.
The story of a movement
Some social movements are dramatic, capturing everyone’s attention for a moment, but producing little in the way of a lasting legacy. Others quietly move forward in the background but change the lives of whole communities – even a whole nation.
To some workplace pensions may seem like wallpaper on the rooms of our national life, but they are so much more. The pensions movement has helped millions enjoy a more prosperous and secure retirement. When things have gone wrong, we have learned and adapted. Our nation has embraced a partnership with business in providing for the future rather than complete provision through the state. What we choose today shapes tomorrow.
With work habits changing and technology advancing, the pensions movement will continue to evolve, and we are committed to keeping the story alive.
According to the most recent Occupational Pensions Survey from 2018, the total membership of occupational pension schemes in the UK was estimated at 45.6 million, compared with 41.1 million in 2017 – the highest ever recorded.
Office of National Statistics,
Occupational Pension Schemes Survey, UK
News and Events
Find out what’s new at Pensions Archive Trust including events and commentary on the pensions sector.
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