A PARISH council has been awarded a grant of £818 towards an oral history project, under the millennium Awards for All programme.

Lynesack and Softley has been given the cash for the project, in which a team of volunteers will interview people about their memories and knowledge of the area. Unlike many oral history projects, the team is not just interested in elderly residents who have lived in the area for a long time. They also wish to talk to children and families who are new to the area.

The idea is to produce a short sound recording of highlights from a whole series of taped interviews representing the people from the villages and farms in Butterknowle, South Side and Lynesack. One hundred copies of the recording will be made and distributed.

The project was the idea of resident Sue Constable who said: "We wanted to be sure that Lynesack benefited from the money being made available for local groups to celebrate the millennium.

"The great thing is that it can involve anyone in the area who wants to join. We are looking for volunteers to be interviewed and we also have space for a few more people on the interview team."

Darlington college of technology will train the team of volunteers. When the project is over the equipment will be given to Butterknowle school, which will also house the project archive.

To find out more, contact Anne Allen on 01388 718196 or Paul Simpson on 710594.