A MILLENNIUM project that was four years in the making is putting people in touch with the past.

A dedicated team of enthusiasts have created 38 intricately stitched boxed-cushions that now have pride of place in the nave of Ripon Cathedral.

Half of them, on the northern side, use tapestry to depict the history of the city from its earliest days, while the other half, on the southern side, tell the story of the city as it is today.

Each cushion is about one metre long. They were created by a group of enthusiasts calling themselves the Ripon City Stitchers.

"In the end we had a total of 90 stitchers in ten groups at different locations at work on the project," said chairwoman Connie Birkinshaw.