History will come alive for youngsters in North Wiltshire thanks to a £30,000 grant given to The Kennet Valley at War Trust.

The trust received the money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to conserve and enhance the charity’s collection of Second World War artefacts and increase public access to the collection.

The trust is working with volunteers from Ramsbury Primary School and Newbury College on the project, which focuses on Kennet Valley during the Second World War.

The project, which runs through the academic year, will enable young people to research, photograph and digitise the trust’s collection of artefacts to create a new website.

Project manager Mike Relph, who became involved with the trust six months ago, said: “The trust has been going for about five years and it wanted to a reach a wider audience, particularly younger people, and a good way of doing that is through a website.

“The website the trust has at the moment was set up five years ago so it’s quite dated.”

There is also an online education pack that will be sent to 250 schools across North Wiltshire, West Berkshire and Swindon.

Lisa Flower, a teacher at Ramsbury Primary School, said: “We are looking forward to trialling the new educational packs and online resources and the opportunity to make more links with our local community.”

The collection is in the museum at Littlecote House Hotel, where the officers of the 101st Airborne 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment were stationed.

Artefacts include a three-ton Sherman tank turret, uniforms, photographs and personal testimonies.

Bruce Steggles, from the museum, said: “Littlecote House Hotel fully supports the project and the trust’s work to keep the history of the local community alive.”

The project also involves workshops exploring Kennet Valley in the Second World War and creating three walks that will explore the archaeology of the area, possibly looking at Ramsbury airfield.