A PROJECT to record the memories of Portchester people for the future has been launched.

Portchester in Living Memory, the brainchild of members of the Portchester Civic Society, has come about thanks to a £17,300 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

It aims to capture the recollections of young and old.

The oral history project will culminate in a book and CD-ROM of reminiscences, along with photographs.

Portchester Civic Society chairman Hazel Woodman said: "I was born and grew up in Portchester, but in the last 80 years the population has increased from 1,000 to 19,000.

"In some people's living memory it has grown from a quiet village, bordered by the harbour and farmland, to the large residential area it is today.

"Our aim is to capture the feel of what it has been like

living in Portchester during that period.

"I hope that this project will involve a broad section of the community and increase the understanding of Portchester's rich heritage."

The original recordings, when complete, will be placed in the Hampshire Records Office at Winchester.

The idea was prompted by the annual Memories of Portchester exhibition in the Parish Hall and stories told there about what life was like when Portchester was a small village.

Local schools and the libraries and museum service have got involved.

Fareham Borough Council has also contributed £200 from its community grants programme.