GENERATIONS of people in Shildon are tracking their family histories through a project backed by the region's first national museum.

Locomotion: The National Railway Museum, is providing people with an unusual way to record their memories.

Backed with a £48,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a Time Tracks community archive project has been introduced, using computer technology to allow people to record their personal histories.

They can scan photographs, old letters and diaries, and make voice recordings for the archive, which will reach a world wide audience through the Internet.

Organisers expect to hear recollection of momentous events, such as the first man on the moon or the Queen's Coronation, as well as personal memories from the children and adults taking part.

Locomotion staff will guide people through the process, while Equal Arts, from Gateshead, will run workshops. There will be seven bases for the project, with two archives at Locomotion and one each at Shildon Community Learning Centre, Shildon Library and the Jubilee Community Centre. Two travelling laptop systems will be lent to organisations in the region.

Time Tracks will be managed by Locomotion staff until December, when it will be given to the Shildon community to run.

The centre's education links officer, Kathryn Furness, said: "Time Tracks will not only provide the community with an exciting way to record their history, it will also allow them to build new skills, therefore having a lasting effect."

Locomotion is due to open at the end of September and will house 60 vehicles from the National Railway Collection.