A CD evoking memories of an east Durham beauty spot is to be launched in time for Christmas.

Memories of woodland picnics in Castle Eden Dene and legends told by grandparents are blended with birdsong and sounds of the sea on the recording.

The disc is also set to bring back the days of blackened beaches through stories told by those who grew up, lived and worked around the Durham coast.

The CD project won a grant from the Turning the Tide Community Action fund which allowed BBC journalist Neil Gander to produce the CD from local interviews.

Many of the memories are of everyday life such as that by Mary Longworth who talks about her days as a maid at the Castle at Castle Eden.

Margaret Millburn remembers wartime picnics in the Dene and Bill Monck recounts the legend of Gunner and the Devil.

Local man Keith Wright recalls a story of the giant who lived in the dene while Dennis Mills and Walter Hudspith talk about the changes along the coast since the days of the mines.

Another narrator, Margaret Burns, recounts how she collected coal from the beach as a young bride.

The CD, costing £3.50, will be available from December 7 from Peterlee Tourist Information Centre as well as Peterlee, Horden and Blackhall Colliery Libraries.

It will also be on sale from Seaton Holme Discovery Centre in Easington Village