A MEETING is to be held next week to launch the Teesside Industrial Memories Project as a society.

The project aims to collect and record personal memories of working life in the industries of Teesside.

It will start with the ICI works at Billingham, interviewing former employees and their families, drawing together their memories for a book.

This will be followed by other industries.

The project is the brainchild of Denis Carroll and John Robinson, former employees of ICI.

It started after the pair were reminiscing about their working life at Billingham, and how times have changed.

Mr Carroll worked as a rigger and went on to become a full-time trade union official, and Mr Robinson ran the transport department before it was outsourced.

After agreeing there was nothing to tell the tale of those who worked for ICI in the days when it was one of the biggest employers on Teesside, the pair decided to set up the project.

It is not an academic project, although training in carrying out recorded interviews will be provided by staff at the Centre for Local Historical Research at the University of Teesside.

The organisers hope to bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Foundation.

Their meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 3, at 7.30pm in the New Life and Resource Centre, Low Grange Avenue, Billingham.