VOLUNTEER historians have been taking part in a First World War themed baking competition.

The contest was part of the inaugural Durham at War conference at County Hall, Durham, which was organised to give volunteers working on project to discuss their research.

It was organised by Durham County Council, which is coordinating the website.

Gill Parkes, Durham County Record Office principal archivist, said: “The aim of the conference was to recognise and thank our volunteers for all their hard work in making the Durham at War website such a success.

“It also gave them a chance to meet up, share their experiences and compare notes on the research they have been carrying out."

Margaret Hedley, of Wheatley Hill History Group was awarded first prize in the Bake Off contest for her trench cake, while John Sheen, from Durham, and Kevin Richardson, of the Fallen Men of South Durham project, shared joint second place for their Anzac wafers and trench cake.

The conference also heard from speakers including Jim Busby, who had travelled from Canada to talk about how he has been helping research County Durham soldiers for Durham at War, and John Sheen, who has written several books about North East battalions.

Durham at War aims to map the impact of the First World War on people across the North East, providing access to thousands of real-life stories and in-depth research from local heritage collections.