A NEW exhibition commemorating North Craven’s part in the First World War was officially opened at The Folly, Settle, last Wednesday.

And the opening honours were carried out by Barry Blood, vice-president of the Skipton Royal British Legion and a representative of the Duke of Wellington’s Regimen.

The War Beckons exhibition - which runs until November 2 - focuses on the early stages of the War and the effects it had on North Craven.

Also at the opening were year eight students from Settle College who researched their First World War ancestors and donated their findings for display.

One pupil, Sophie Armitage is now planning a visit to the grave of her great uncle in France on the 100th anniversary of his death.

She said: “Wearing a poppy means a lot more now having researched our own First World War family history. Knowing about someone who was involved makes it feel much more real.”

A special feature of the exhibition is a series of emotive paintings by local artist David Hartnup who was inspired by Craven’s Part in the Great War which was published in 1920 to commemorate the men from the district who died in World War One.

Folly curator Anne Read said: "We are delighted with the very positive response we have had to the War Beckons exhibition over the last few days. We've already received additional information and promises of further material, which is exactly what we'd hoped for. It is very exciting to think there are still plenty of local stories to discover."

A series of events are planned around the exhibition, starting on Monday with a talk by James Spry from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority about archaeological investigations of First World War sites around Settle. It will begin at 7pm and tickets costing £7 are available from 01729 822893.

The exhibition also helped to launch the Craven and the First World War project, a Heritage Lottery Funded project which is planning events, exhibitions and performances to mark the centenary in Craven.

Project officer Rob Freeman said: “The War Beckons exhibition is the first in a series of events planned over the next few years which we hope will develop a greater understanding of Craven’s unique history of this period. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to commemorate the sacrifices made by the men and women of Craven 100 years ago.”