PERSONAL stories and past secrets are being recorded and kept for future generations thanks to a new project launched today (April 23) across Gwynedd and Anglesey.

A Menter Môn project, “Ein Hanes Ni” (Our Own History), was first trialled in Llannerchymedd in partnership with Isle of Anglesey County Council.

Children gathered and recorded stories from the area in conversations with the older generation about their memories of the village.

Now, with the help of a £250,000 National Lottery “People and Places” grant, the scheme is being rolled out to communities across both counties.

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The new funding will help Ein Hanes Ni achieve its aim of connecting different generations – to each other and to their communities, giving residents a platform to share stories and changes they’ve seen.

Giving children and young people the opportunity to create new relationships with older generations, the project will also work with communities to create digital and print resources to record stories that have been gathered.

Aaron Morris, a project officer with Menter Môn who leads on this scheme, said: "This is a great opportunity for people to own their history and make a digital record of it for future generations.

“This is content that would not necessarily be found in books, archives, academic work or on the web.

"People are at the heart of what we are trying to achieve with Ein Hanes Ni. We want to preserve and record the stories of individuals – from the landscape to names of buildings, to the streets and local characters, to the language spoken.

“By filming conversations between older and younger members of a community we hope to create an opportunity for them to learn and develop relationships as well as showing young people the value of the older generation and their surrounding area."

Across both counties, 24 communities have signed up to take part in the project.

Catrin Jones, language and community manager with Menter Môn, added: "We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way.

“Feedback from the original trial project was fantastic, with some quite emotional, and stories shared locally and further afield thanks to social media.

“With these new funds we can help more people reminisce and learn about what makes their area unique."