The producers of a film about the history of education in the village are asking for people with memories of the Bishop Monkton Mechanics Institution in its final years to get in touch. They would love to hear from people who remember going inside the Mechanics in the 1970s, 80s and 90s with a view to interviewing them. They are also interested in any inside pictures people may have of the Mechanics.

The Mechanics, affectionately known as the 'Mickey', was opened in 1859 pursuing Victorian ideas of self-improvement and providing education and culture for adults in the village with lectures, concerts, a library and free newspapers. But in the latter part of the twentieth-century it operated more like a village hall and from the 1970s until its closure in the 1990s, it was used variously as a billiards hall, a youth club, a pre-school nursery and for private parties. In 1999 the Mechanics Trustees agreed to its sale. It was converted into a house, used for several years as a holiday let but is now a private home owned by Ollie and Stancey Coughlan.

Bishop Monkton Local History Group is working with the village Primary School on the 'Best Years of Our Lives' project about the history of education here, both for children and adults. Most of the project is focussing on the village School but the Mechanics is also featuring. The project involves the publication of a book, the production of a film and the staging of an exhibition - all happening in May this year.

Anyone who has memories or photos of the Mechanics and who would be prepared to be interviewed in the next few weeks is being asked to contact the Local History Group by email