A TOTAL of £10,000 has been awarded to a history group to help commemorate the bombardment of Hartlepool almost exactly 100 years ago.

The money has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and has been given to Hartlepool Remembered which is working on a project focusing on the centenary of the German shelling of Hartlepool on December 16,1914.

The history group is also working with The University of Leeds Legacies of War (1914-18) project and community groups in Hartlepool led by Friends of Stranton Cemetery.

The project will involve running a community heritage and education event on Thursday, December 11 2014, in Hartlepool College of Further Education and there will be other exhibitions, lectures and more informal heritage talks, and performances.

Interviews with survivors of the Hartlepool and Scarborough bombardments, recorded in the 1980s and deposited in the Leeds University World War One archive, will be exhibited for the first time on the day allowing visitors to hear eye-witness accounts of the bombardment, spoken in their own words and rich accents, providing a unique and highly-moving experience.

Commenting on the award, Susan Connor, Chair of Friends of Stranton Cemetery, said: “Bringing together this project in Hartlepool will really give people an opportunity to explore the history of the Hartlepool bombardment, its importance within the global events of 1914, and how it helped to shape the development of Hartlepool to the present day."