A CREATIVE project hosted by Skipton Library will take a new look at the past and present of some of Craven’s landmarks.

The North Yorkshire libraries service has been awarded £5,000 by Libraries Connected Yorkshire and Humber to fund a project called ‘Then and Now.’

It will mean library staff and volunteers at Skipton working with people over this autumn to identify significant locations and landmarks in their areas, take photographs of them and compare them with old images of the locations held in the library’s historical photographic collections.

Working with a digital artist, they will edit their images using software at the library, culminating in a celebratory public photographic exhibition in spring next year.

The libraries service will work with different groups on the project, which will aim to help those taking part to develop creative and digital skills, as well as encourage a sense of pride and belonging in their community.

County Councillor Greg White, executive member for libraries, said: “Then and Now is an ideal theme for our libraries. They are forward-looking and at the centre of today’s communities, but are also repositories of a wealth of local history and ideal places for people to come together to listen to stories and join discussions about what made us and the places we live what they are today.

“We want to encourage people who don’t usually do so to use the libraries’ digital services and collections of old photographs. Libraries offer so much more than they used to and we are always looking for innovative ways of engaging new audiences.”

The project is also being run at libraries in Selby and in Scarborough.