A SCHEME that would revolutionise access to information about the heritage of the Yorkshire Dales has moved a step nearer to fruition.

Last year the National Park Authority won a £90,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its 'Out of Oblivion' project.

And now Dr Karen Griffiths has been seconded from her role as the authority's interpretation officer to lead the project for the next two years.

The project will be at the cutting edge of archaeological interpretation, and will provide full public access to the area's sites and monument record, the most comprehensive account of the historic environment of the park.

When complete, the public will be able to access information via the internet through new workstations at the National Park Centres or by using a portable computer to be made available throughout the area.

Dr Griffiths said she and her team would be working to make information about the park's heritage available in an interesting and useful way.

"One of my main tasks will be to develop a new web site, which will recreate the past in images, sounds, words and animation; there will be walks, places to visit as well as the latest archaeological research on the park.

"I will also be involved in telling the public about the project and by so doing bringing people, schools and history groups together to learn about our shared history."

The sites and monuments record contains more than 25,000 records together with maps, aerial and ground based photographs, details of field surveys and reports of excavation projects.

It includes information on sites that range from prehistoric caves to structures built in the cold war, as well as information on historic buildings and landscape features, such as sheepfolds and dry stone walls.