A VITAL village resource is finding a new way to thrive.

The current crisis may have forced Lymm Heritage Centre to close its doors temporarily but it has certainly not prevented all sorts of projects continuing that will make the centre even more attractive and exciting when it re-opens.

The Lymm Digital Archive group, known as LyDiA – pictured here before the days of social distancing – has devised a method of working remotely so that members can scan and load photographs in their own home.

The pictures can then be categorised while another person adds the all important stories behind the images.

The result is a fast growing record of Lymm life during the past 150 years that already boasts around 2,000 entries.

Some great discoveries have already been made along the way.

One touching example is the local lady now well into her 90s who has seen a photograph of herself for the first time that was taken 89 years ago when she was part of the retinue at Lymm May Queen.

She is now the proud owner of a framed copy, presented to her by the group.

One part of the archive is a large collection related to the Bridgewater Canal and to life on the canal.

“I was given a couple of terrific photographs of a local boatman, Bob Cliffe, many years ago that we have included in the archive.” explained one of the team, Alan Taylor.

“We have used them extensively in our publicity since we first opened. Now we have discovered through further research that 120 years ago Bob actually lived in one of the cottages that used to be on the site of the heritage centre. So it feels like Bob has come home”.

Other groups, all working from home, are researching new books, including a village adventure trail for families while are others are creating the material to reproduce Victorian and Edwardian shop windows that will go on display when the centre is able to re-open.

n You can enjoy a dip into Lymm’s history at thelymmarchive.co.uk.

The centre’s website is packed with more information too. That’s lymmhic.co.uk.

Or you can share your memories and maybe hook up with long lost friends on the Lymm Memories facebook group .