DECADES after they were sent home from a North-East camp, prisoners of war are helping piece together the history of the site so it can be opened as a visitor attraction.

Owners James and Lisa McLeod bought Harperley Camp, in Weardale, County Durham, last year and aim to restore the site as a monument to its former inhabitants.

Following national publicity and appeals in The Northern Echo, the couple have been contacted by some of the Italian and German men held at the camp during World War II.

"Now people know we want to open the camp as a museum, they are keen to help us ensure its past is not forgotten," said Mr McLeod.

"We have been sent some fascinating items, and talking to former prisoners or people who remember them is helping to bring the project to life."

By day, the young prisoners worked on nearby farms, but by night they returned to the camp where they recreated a taste of their homeland by painting murals and holding shows in a theatre.

Many struck up friendships, and even romances, with locals, who have also donated items and photographs to the project.

Among the pieces donated are wooden carvings and hand-painted theatre programmes, which were often dedicated to hospitable locals.

Mrs McLeod said: "A former German PoW who visited us was excited about our plans and couldn't stop talking about his happy memories.

"The fondness the former prisoners still have with the camp is amazing. They were frightened when they came here, but were welcomed by most locals and built their own community.

"It's also been brilliant talking to people who remember the prisoners working on their parents' farms."

Later this month the couple, whose Hamsterley farm overlooks the site, will travel to Germany to meet at least three former prisoners.

In Hamburg, they will visit the camp interpreter and a leading member of the camp's theatre group, then in Frankfurt they will meet the master baker.

Mr McLeod said: "We're looking forward to meeting people who were at the heart of the camp because we want to base the restoration and museum on the people who stayed here and keep it as authentic as possible."

The couple started work on the neglected 20-acre site last November and hope to open parts of the attraction, such as a caf and garden shop, as early as next Easter.

English Heritage hopes to get the camp, on the road west from Crook to Wolsingham, recognised on the list of scheduled monuments.

Anyone with information on the camp can contact Mr and Mrs McLeod on (01388) 767098.