A video tape featuring local murders, coal mining, coke ovens and railways will be shown with three animated stories to residents of Butterknowle, near Barnard Castle, today.

They will be screened in the village school, where they have been produced as a community arts project by the pupils and six parents.

The project was funded by various groups including the Rural Development Programme, Northern Arts, Teesdale Council and Durham County Council.

The videos will be screened at 1.30pm and 5pm. They will be followed by workshops at which villagers can find out more about felting, song writing, animation and local history.

Four similar projects are to be launched at Hamsterley, Barnard Castle, Bowes and Cockfield, but they all feature different activities