A SUNDIAL has been unveiled in Bishop Middleham to celebrate the millennium.

It was designed by Mark Elliott, of Sedgefield Borough Council, with landscaping by JWC Landscaping, and is sited opposite The Fleece pub, in the High Street.

It is one of four millennium projects organised by Bishop Middleham Parish Council.

The sundial cost £9,671, paid for with a £6,000 grant from Latharge Redland under the landfill tax scheme. The remainder of the funding came from the parish council, with Sedgefield Borough Council paying for its design.

Mike Smith, chairman of the parish council, said a millennium book of photographs, providing snapshots of the village in 2000, will also be delivered to every household in Bishop Middleham.

He said: "The idea is to give everyone in the village a record of that year. It is really a book for the future, so people can see what the village was like in 2000. It has all been done by local people."

Although copies will be delivered to every household, extra copies are available to buy, priced at £5 for a paperback, or £10 for a hardback version.

The other two millennium projects are a geophysical survey of the castle site, the results of which will go on display near the church, and a £120,000 playing field project.