A GROUP set up to mark the centenary of the First World War has received a financial boost which will help fund five years’ of events.

Yarm1914 Centenary Commemoration Group will use the £27,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to enable young people to uncover the stories of local men who fought in the war and the impact on the families left behind.

The organisation, which will research and collate information about the families living through this period of the town’s history, has been created to organise large and small-scale events to mark the centenary up to 2018.

The young people will produce a lasting memory of their research in a book, sharing photographs of events and discoveries made during the project by the young volunteers.

Peter Monck, the group’s chairman, said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and are confident that there will be something for everyone as the project unfolds.

“We aim to educate people of all ages about the contribution and sacrifice people from Yarm gave to create the world today. We are launching the project during the weekend of August 2 with a display on Willey Flatts field.

“Visitors will be able to try the food available at the time, ride on period fairground attractions, experience a recreated First World War trench and see period recreations.

"The weekend will culminate with a gathering in the centre of Yarm on the evening of Monday, August 4 when we join in the national remembrance of the declaration of war at 11pm.”

The head of the HLF in the North-East, Ivor Crowther, said: “The impact of the First World War is far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond.

"The Heritage Lottery Fund has already invested more than £46m in projects – large and small - enabling even more communities to be involved in Centenary activities, like those involved in Yarm 1914, to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and help local young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”