Yes—using a scanning service is a practical option for a collection this large. In the community responses, the only service specifically mentioned was ScanCafe, and it was noted that many people have used them for large scanning jobs. However, the responder could not confirm UK availability.

For a project of 3,000 images, a service can save a lot of time and usually gives more consistent results than casual home scanning. Before choosing one, it’s worth checking a few basics: what formats they handle (slides vs. negatives), output resolution, file types, whether dust/scratch correction is included, turnaround time, and how originals are packaged and returned.

If you’re in the UK, confirm shipping, insurance, and local service availability before sending the whole archive. A small test batch first is a good idea so you can judge quality before committing the entire collection.