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Worcestershire Record Office is set to help restore fragile film footage recorded that captures life in Worcestershire over the last 110 years.

More than 100 snippets of film, including old cine films and videotapes, are set to be transformed to their former glory to create an image archive of the county.

The County Council’s Record Office will work in partnership with the Media Archive for Central England (MACE) to develop the archive, which has been made possible with a £43,700 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The work, which will take place (insert when), will involve the films being copied in digital or analogue format to ensure their long-term survival.

Old cinefilm in boxes

Archivist, Louisa Mann, said: 'Fascinating films of life in Worcestershire exist, giving an insight into people’s lives, manners, customs and changing attitudes. Technology has advanced so much we are in danger of losing the films unless their format is changed so they are accessible now and in the future.'

HLF Regional Manager, Anne Jenkins, said: 'We are delighted to fund this project which will unlock wonderful images of Worcestershire which otherwise would forever be lost from view. The screenings will give local people the chance to see for themselves moving images of a bygone era.'

Extracts of the films will eventually be available for people to view online and also via the County Council’s Records Office.

A team of volunteers will be trained to research and catalogue the films, which will be shown at special screenings around Worcestershire. The project is part of the Worcester Voices scheme, which aims to develop a range of primary source materials from oral, photograph and film collections within the City of Worcester.