FORMER British Steel company Corus is to donate £60,000 over the next three years to preserve its archives for future generations.

Corus, which was recently acquired by Indian steelmaker Tata, has already donated £20,000 towards the project, which is being run by the University of Teesside and Teesside Archives.

The money will help towards the cost of cataloguing the entire collection, carrying out preservation and conservation work and opening the archive up to the public.

Jon Bolton, managing director at Corus Teesside Cast Products, said: "The history and tradition of the steel industry on Teesside is extremely important and it goes a long way to explain the passion our people feel for the industry.

"The archive is home to the blueprints from many famous landmarks, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, demonstrating it is of great local and national importance and source of immense local pride."

The archive is housed in the Teesside Archives building in Exchange Square, Middlesbrough.