THE hills were alive (once) with the sound of ironstone mining.

Now a council is sponsoring a film-maker's quest to make a documentary.

Craig Hornby, 33, the man behind the lens, has already recorded the reminiscences of retired miners for the video, which marks the 150th anniversary of the rush for ironstone in the hills above Eston, near Middlesbrough.

He said: "It is a tale to inspire the young about pride, community and self help.''

Peter Lane, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's head of leisure services, said: "This will be an excellent resource for local schools and communities."

Craig will be filming on the hills this weekend, re-creating mining scenes.