OLDER people's memories are to be used in a video project aimed at turning back the clock to produce a record of how life used to be.

The Darlington-based project will see 25 pensioners from all walks of life recount their memories in interviews and also take them to places of importance in their lives.

This will be done over 12 months in four stages, each filming a different part of the subject's lives, starting with early childhood and family life in a three-month pilot expected to start filming in a month.

This first stage is costing £9,840, funded with money from Darlington Arts Centre, the education department at Darlington Borough Council and the Mayor's charity, although £1,500 in funding is still to be raised.

A camera from Darlington Association on Disability and editing equipment at Darlington College of Technology will be used for the work. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn more about video production and gain a certificate at the end.

The project is being coordinated by local artist Tony Hindhaugh, who said: "As people get older they become more like a storehouse of all these memories, and it is a shame a lot of it is unrecorded and passes by without people knowing about it.

"This is a way of recording them and celebrating them. It will become a community resource used in schools and community centres as part of an on-going project.

"It will have an educational purpose. It will be like a secondary historical source."

There are still vacancies for five pensioners on the project. They will need to be able to give one afternoon a week to the project.

For details contact Tony Hindhaugh on (01325) 468416.