A NEW exhibition celebrating the South Dorset Ridgeway is coming to the Dorset County Museum.

Ridgeway Voices, a free temporary exhibition, opens on May 12 and runs until June 25.

The exhibition aims to discover the landscape of the South Dorset Ridgeway through the voices of people who live at, work on or simply enjoy the area.

It includes personal recollections of local residents talking about childhood games, first meetings with loved ones, surviving the Second World War and farming on the Ridgeway.

There is also an exhibition of photographs by photographer Sue Macpherson, films and a collection of historic photographs and objects relating to life in the 20th century.

Running alongside the exhibition will be a walking festival with experts leading a series of treks to discover the Ridgeway.

Storyteller Tim Laycock will also be at the High West Street Museum on June 10 with stories from memories within the exhibition.

The exhibition is being run by the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership (AONB), which has spent three years working on the South Dorset Ridgeway Heritage Project.

Through funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and England, the AONB team has been exploring and promoting the special history and scenery of the Ridgeway.

South Dorset Ridgeway Heritage project officer Sarah Harbige said: “It’s the last part of the project really.

“It will bring together some of the things that have happened during the three years and celebrating what is a unique piece of landscape and the people that have been involved in the project as well.

“We have had groups of volunteers working in several of the villages recording reminisces and we are using these memories to form the core of the exhibition.

“There are nearly 30 clips of now more than a minute long of stories of peoples lives and then interspersed with that are some bits about the Ridgeway to discover.

“We have had a photographer working for the last 18 months whose been out with her camera recording the changes in landscapes through the seasons so her pieces will be on display as well.

“So we have got her voice and some artists’ voices as well.”

She added: “It’s a bit eclectic but I think it will be a very interesting visitor experience.

“You can pick and choose what you listen to and because we have been able to make it a free exhibition with funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund you can always come back.”

For more information about the exhibition and other events visit southdorsetridgeway.org.uk or call 01305 228239.