HISTORY is more or less bunk Henry Ford famously once said. But George Santayana replied that "those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it".

There's no doubting where thriving Bitterne Local History Society stands on the issue having recently raised some much-needed funds when it held an open afternoon at its research centre and charity shop in Peartree Road. The society has more than 200 members who meet monthly.

It produces a quarterly newsletter and keeps 2,500 historical photographs, maps and documents. At the open afternoon the sale of cream

teas and a raffle earned more than £100.

Its chairman Ian Abrahams said: "The open afternoon was not simply about raising funds, it was also about attracting people through the door who might normally just drive past.

"It's not always easy, we are not in the centre of Bitterne and while a lot of people know we exist, they don't necessarily visit us.

"The club is very important to the area because over the years there has been a loss of identity for Bitterne which began 20 years ago with the road-building scheme.

"People use us for research and we visit local schools. When they study history it's important for the children to know about what was going on close to home.

"It's as important to know how their grandparents lived as it is to know about how Henry VIII lived."