Residents of Yarm are being invited to take part in a special oral history project that will highlight what life is like in the village today and what it was like in the past.
As part of the run-up to the opening of its new branch in Yarm Library in September, Newcastle Building Society is looking to interview local people of all ages about their experiences of growing up, living and working in the village.
The Society will be carrying out a series of interviews later this month to capture what Yarm and its community is all about, with the resulting audio recordings being hosted on its www.newcastle.co.ukwebsite.
And some of the stories will also go forward to form part of a photographic exhibition that will go on show in the new library.
The innovative partnership between Newcastle Building Society and Stockton Borough Council to introduce a branch into the library is the first of its kind in the UK, and is part of a £10m investment programme that Newcastle Building Society is undertaking this year to improve the way it delivers its service to customers.
Kathryn Mclaughlin, Head of Corporate Communications at Newcastle Building Society, says: “As a mutual organisation, our focus is always all about the communities in which we’re based, and as part of opening our new Yarm branch, we wanted to find out as much as possibly about the village from the people that know it best.
“We’re looking for people of all ages to share their experiences, memories and feeling about Yarm, so we can build a picture of how the village has developed through the years and what local people think and feel about living in this thriving community today.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for local people to contribute to a piece of local history and make their voices heard among the community, and we’re hoping that as many people as possible will want to get involved.
“We’re excited to be moving closer to returning a branch to Yarm through this unique undertaking, and to give local people even better access to the financial services and advice that we offer in what will be a fantastic community setting.”
The interviews will take place through the day on Thursday 25 August at a location in Yarm. For further information on taking part of the project, please email Yarm@newcastle.co.uk or call Christine Heslop on 0191 244 2735.