The Village's Local History Group is issuing a fresh appeal for people with stories about our school to come forward to be interviewed. It's all part of a big project, "The Best Years of Our Lives" which will result in a book, a film, an exhibition next year as well being a lesson topic for school pupils - all of these telling the history of education in Bishop Monkton. Several people have already volunteered to get involved and the project team are in the process of approaching other people but they need more people.

The team behind the project are looking for your stories about Bishop Monkton school, your memories, your pictures and other memorabilia like school reports. Were you a pupil or did you work there either on the school’s current site since the 1970s or in its previous building, now the Old School House?

The project is particularly keen to uncover the following –

• Families which have had a long association with the school over several generations.
• Any photos, or even better videos, of school events from years gone by.
• Anyone who knows anything about the history of some of the small independent schools which were set up in private houses before the formal school existed.

The project will also take in the story of the Mechanics Institution which, among other things, provided adult education. So anyone who can remember going in there before it closed in the 1990s is also being asked to share their memories with the project.

Please contact Colin Philpott if you can help [email protected] or via Facebook Messenger or on 07791 341074.