The Mersey Gateway Project

Website tells First World War stories of Daresbury soldiers

November 11, 2016MerseylinkNews

Construction joint venture Merseylink has helped a local history group tell the story of some of the Halton soldiers who served in the First World War.

Daresbury and District Heritage Group received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to commemorate the local men and women of Daresbury Parish in Cheshire who served in the armed forces during World War I (WWI).

Sue Lancaster, Chair of Daresbury District Heritage Group, is delighted with their new website

The project shines a light on the history of the parish during WWI, the sacrifice made by the soldiers, and the impact that their service and the war had on the families and villages left behind.

Keen to create a website to share their research with a wider audience, but lacking the necessary IT expertise, Daresbury and District Heritage Group applied to Merseylink’s Time Bank for support.

Lynn Jeary, Merseylink’s Digital Communications Coordinator, worked closely with the group, helping them to design and launch a brand new website. Merseylink’s PR agency DTW also lent a helping hand by designing a new logo.

The website, which is now live, includes a fascinating collection of soldiers’ stories from WWI plus information about what was happening on the home front. There are also ‘news’ and ‘events’ sections and information about other local history projects.

Sue Lancaster, Chair of Daresbury District Heritage Group, said: “Establishing a website was the most important factor in enabling us to share the rich history of our parish, including our First World War project, with the local community and those further afield.

“We had no relevant experience to draw on so the support of Time Bank and, in particular, of Lynn, to set it up and provide training for us has been invaluable. Thanks to Merseylink we now have a classy website that is easy to browse, tells the story of the parish and keeps people informed about our events and latest research.”

Merseylink’s Time Bank scheme was set up to provide practical help and support to local community projects, schools, colleges and the local authority. It works by matching successful applicants with the bridge builder’s industry experts and suppliers who give their time to provide professional advice and support.

Lynn Jeary, Merseylink’s Digital Communications Coordinator, said: “It was a pleasure to work with the group and see their bold idea of a website to commemorate local soldiers come to life. Sue and the team now have the skills they need to update the website themselves as new information is discovered. I look forward to seeing the project continue to grow.”

For more information about Daresbury District Heritage Group and their WWI project visit: www.ddhg.org.uk

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