TWO Gwent projects have benefited from more than £68,000 of Heritage Lottery Funding in a bid to keep the history of their towns alive.

The Pontypool Townscape Community Project has received £45,200 while Park Place Remembers the Great War project, based in Tredegar, has received £23,000.

The two-year Pontypool project which is run by Torfaen Museum Trust will see workshops held where volunteers will ask local people to bring photography and interesting documents such as deeds and leases to be examined. The items will be used in an exhibition at Pontypool Museum.

The project will also bring two new part-time project officers and opportunities for 24 volunteers who will be trained in research and archiving.

Curator at the museum, Deborah Wildgust said: “With this project, we will be bringing the community together while encouraging them to take a greater interest in their community and heritage.”

The 12-month Tredegar project will see local group Kidz-R-Us document the town’s experiences of World War One through the use of film and drama.

The group helps young people in Tredegar develop new skills in their own time and will see more than 10 youngsters aged between 12 and 18 take part in workshops learning interviewing techniques and researching the war before filming their findings. The film will be premiered next year.

Head of Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales, Jennifer Stewart said: “We’ve funded these projects in recognition of the opportunities they present for people, young and old, to get involved and play a part in taking their heritage forward.”

For more information visit hlf.org.uk