THE community spirit that filled the homes around a street in Middlesbrough refused to diminish despite the fact the houses were demolished 40 years ago.

In the 1950s and 1960s great swathes of the North-East were pulled down following a policy of largescale slum clearance by local authorities of the day.

Wilson Hill Street was one such area, when in 1966, 700 houses were bulldozed and about 2,500 people spread across the town - quite similar to the council's plans for the terraced streets of the town.

Despite friends and neighbours being split up, the community spirit was kept alive and resulted in the formation of a residents' association.

As a result, the Wilson Hill Street Neighbourhood Project was started with a grant of £14,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create an interactive and educational exhibition at Middlesbrough's Dorman Museum.

To mark the end of the project, up to 40 people returned to the museum for a joint celebration of 40 years' of friendship and the 60th anniversary of VE Day.

Alan Dowson, 67, who helped lead the project and is a former resident, said: "We had a community spirit that would not be broken by the demolition. This should be a lesson for Middlesbrough Council as they plan to demolish parts of Gresham.

"The people who lived in the area have remained friends. This might be the end of the project, but there will be nothing stopping us all getting back together again in a couple of years time."

Former Vaughan Street resident, 76-year-old Mary Bradley, said: "It has been a lovely day, talking to people who we used to all live near. Many of us have always remained friends and even after the end of the project we will still meet up as usual because that is the kind of friendship we have."