WARTIME stories from a Teesdale village are set to be brought to life thanks to a Lottery grant.

Members of the Staindrop Remembers WW1 Group have recently received £6,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a special project aimed at researching and collecting stories which demonstrate the contributions that men and women from the village and surrounding areas made during the First World War.

It follows an earlier project which told the stories of the 40 men who died during the war, and who are named on the village war memorial in St. Mary’s Church, the group will now research and produce individual biographies of the men and women who came home.

Stories will include where they lived and worked, their family connections and details of their service records.

One of the stories that is already being researched is that of village milkman Charles Grice, who served with the Royal Garrison Artillery from 1971 to 1918 and was a prisoner of war.

Volunteer researchers will visit and explore a range of archives including the Durham Records Office and study the close connections with nearby Raby Estate - the home of Lord Barnard.

Villagers will also be encouraged to come forward with their own family stories.

Meanwhile, sessions about Staindrop and the First World War will be delivered in schools.

A community event will be held to rededicate the Scarth Hall’s 1920’s extension which was built by public subscription in memory to the fallen.

An illuminated plaque, listing the names of the fallen, will be commissioned for this area and a smaller plaque sited on the Hall’s exterior will highlight the presence of the Memorial room within the building.

The research will be made permanently available in a Book of Remembrance and online where the data will also be shared with Durham County Records Office, the Bowes Museum and Staindrop History Society.

Joint project manager Diane Ball said: “We are thrilled and excited to have received this support. Thanks to the National Lottery Players and to the Scarth Hall Trustees for helping us achieve this goal. We are confident that the knowledge we gain on this project will be passed on to the community for future generations.”