Aston on Trent is a rural village approximately seven miles to the south of Derby City. It has around 1600 residents and is known for its energetic and socially dynamic approach to life. Over thirty social and recreational groups prosper in the village and there is a local saying - 'if two people meet in the street they have a chat. If three people meet they form a new society!'

Aston was mentioned in the Domesday book, is near the site of a neolithic settlement and has seen many changes down the years. Until the early twentieth century much of the village and adjoining land was owned by wealthy families. Much of the village is now a conservation area. Annually in July the Well Dressing festival brings many visitors to view the locally decorated tableaux and accompanying entertainments.

The Aston on Trent Local History Group was formed in 2004 and is one of the fastest growing groups in the village. A monthly programme of talks, events and visits ensures the group maintains its lively pace. Despite the rich history there is little detailed and documented history covering the diverse heritage of the village. The history group applied for a substantial grant to rectify the issue and our lhi project 'History for the Future' is the result.

To discover more about Aston log onto www.aston-on-trent.co.uk

Why 'History for the Future'?

We think that history is not just about the past. Today will be the history of tomorrow so it's important to keep current records for our children's future as well as exploring the fascination of times past. It's also important to ensure that all ages get involved; heritage is too important to be left just for the old!

Our project is deceptively easy: To record, maintain and enhance the diverse history of Aston on Trent in audio, visual and written formats and to engage the community in that process. Getting something done of course is a little bit more complex!

We have undertaken a two year project and broken the overall aim down into several mini-projects as follows:

• Set up a dedicated history website linked to the village site.
• Create a DVD about Aston's history and heritage
• Produce a series of audio reminiscences of people in the village
• Publish a quality booklet covering the main heritage themes of the area
• Produce a teachers resource pack for the village school
• Engage the school in two 'Victorian Childhood' interactive days
• Devise a Junior Historian of the Year Award for the schoolchildren
• Encourage village children to take photos to record village life
• Mount an innovative audio/visual display at the Well Dressing festival
• Publish three village trail booklets and a computer screensaver
• Train volunteers to record and archive historic documents.

Wow! That's a lot of history!

We're confident we can achieve our objectives because of the interest shown by the village. many residents have loaned or donated artifacts, documents and photographs to help us build up a comprehensive file of resource material. Every social group in the village has been given a scrapbook and has been asked to create its own history and this has meant a lot of people getting involved right from the start.

Our priority now that we have the systems and procedures in place is to prepare our major display for the Well Dressing festival which will be seen by many hundreds of people. We have taken over the village church which will be filled with static and interactive displays plus our 'piece de resistance' a superb audio/visual presentation which we think will draw the crowds.