OLDER people are being invited to stroll down memory lane for a major new project that will capture the story of Dorset’s past.

Dorset’s Living Memories – the People’s Project, was launched at Dorchester Age Concern by project manager Margaret Wellspring.

She said: “We are looking for people from every walk of life to contribute their stories and pictures. We’re also looking for volunteers to lend practical help.”

The material will take shape on the website www.acdorchester.org to form an online history of Dorset written by the people of the county.

It is being funded with grants from BT and Dorset POPP.

Mrs Wellspring said: “The aim of this project is to give older people in Dorset an opportunity to share their memories, stories, experiences of everyday living in the county from the beginning of the 20th century.”

She said the project followed on from the success of a previous one to preserve wartime memories.

The launch was introduced by Age Concern Dorchester trustee and retired headteacher Adrian Downton. He said everyone was unique and their collected memories would become a rich and precious part of Dorset’s history.

Children from Dorchester Middle School had taken part in a scheme called Through Tired Eyes in which children talked to elderly hospital patients about their memories – and the responses had been wonderful, he said.

Mrs Wellspring said she first had the idea for a memories history after reading a story in the Dorset Echo about the Greyhound Inn in Dorchester – later the site of Waitrose.

She said: “I didn’t know about it but others did and remembered it. I realised we need to keep these memories or they’ll be lost.”

Age Concern Dorchester is holding a Photothon afternoon at its Prince of Wales Road premises on Wednesday, April 29.

People are invited to take along photographs to be digitally scanned for the Living Memories project.

People are also asked to take along cine film, video tape, tape recordings of Dorset characters and memorabilia.

To find out more call 01305 269444.