AN EVERLASTING view of a small community has gone on display in Ebchester.

More than 13 months after being first suggested, Seasons of Ebchester, four colourful textile panels depicting the village's past, present and future, were officially unveiled at the weekend.

All the panels portray a central axis of the River Derwent, on which Ebchester stands, but other local geographical and historical features are depicted.

Backed by a Millennium Awards for All grant of £1,668, plus £400 from Derwentside District Council, the arts project has involved the skills of around 20 local volunteers, mainly talented embroiderers, plus children at the village primary school.

Co-ordinating the project was textile artist Clare Satow, from Gateshead, who was presented with a painting of Ebchester by grateful villagers at Saturday's opening ceremony.

Durham County Council leader Don Robson, the local member, performed the unveiling, at Ebchester Community Centre.

The four panels, each measuring 5ft by 2ft 6in, can be viewed at events in the centre, but are designed to be dismantled to go out on show elsewhere.

While the finished work was the culmination of a community-wide effort, the Millennium arts project only got off the ground following a suggestion by villager Brian Howarth, a keen helper of Ebchester Community Association. He also helped to complete the project by making the oak frames in which the panels are mounted.

"It's been a marvellous effort by a lot of people in the community. What they have produced is absolutely amazing. There has been an average of around a dozen people working on it each week for the last 23 weeks, and the finishing touches were only put to it at 9pm last Thursday.

Mr Howarth has now suggested adding a fifth panel to reflect the flora and fauna of Ebchester