THE history of a group for young people in a Teesdale market town is to be recorded for posterity on a DVD.

Young people working with the YMCA in Barnard Castle have been awarded a grant of £24,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to explore the history of the town's youth.

The youngsters will film interviews and make a DVD of their findings which will be made available for people in the community to watch.

The project will take approximately one year and the youngsters will also attend a residential training course focusing on team work.

They will be given training in research and computing to give them the necessary skills to complete the project.

The grant will also provide equipment for filming and editing.

YMCA project manager Tracy Blanford said: "This is a great opportunity for young people to learn new skills, find out about the area and provide a way of recording some of the history of Barnard Castle."

Keith Bartlett, regional manager for the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "This is an excellent project which sets out to connect young people from the local community with their heritage and to give them a greater understanding of how it forms a link between historical and contemporary Britain.

"The different elements of the project encompass research, planning and creating and original production providing a rich and varied learning experience for the young people involved."

The work of the young people will be placed in the archives of the Bowes Museum to be kept for future generations.

Lisa Jeffries, of the museum, said: "The Bowes Museum feels that this is an excellent opportunity for the young people of Barnard Castle to find out about their local history and feel some ownership of the Bowes Museum."