AN archive of images marking 50 years since the birth of the new town in Birchwood is being boosted by members of the public.

As reported in the Warrington Guardian last year, Su Fitzpatrick, a former Locking Stumps Primary and Birchwood High School pupil, is to hold an exhibition on the new town later this summer.

To be held at Warrington Museum, it is called Days of the New Town: Birchwood at 50.

She has already held people’s archive days to encourage more people to contribute, and more will follow before the display opens in July.

Su said: “This is Warrington’s 50th year as a partnership New Town, and the exhibition and related events are an opportunity for people to reflect on the significance of the development corporation’s planning approach and the legacy of the green spaces it created.”

Many current and former residents of Birchwood have sent in images for the People’s Archive, including photographer Nick Jackson who has encourage a lot of people to send in their own images.

Nigel Hartley, an amateur photographer who lived in Birchwood in the late 1970s into the 80s has contribute a lot of pictures of when Birchwood was still being built.

While local history expert Brian Tuohey sent in this picture of the Birchwood Bonfire, taken by a Mr Hunt .

There is a second People’s Archive day planned to take place at Birchwood Shopping Centre on Saturday, May 12 between 10am and 3pm.

While some of the photographs from the Development Corporation archive will be on show at Birchwood Carnival at Birchwood Forest Park on Sunday, June 3, in the local history gazebo.

Su added: “The aim of the People’s Archive is to encourage residents who have lived in Birchwood since its early days to share some of their own photos of family/ social life in the area to create a different story to the pristine images of the ‘official archive’.

These photos will be on show alongside selected highlights from the official archive at the exhibition at Warrington Museum which opens on June 30 and runs until September 15.

  •  Have you got any images you want to share with Su for the archive?

You can send her an email via s.fitzpatrick@yorksj.ac.uk or send it to us here at Yester Years via newsdesk@guardiangrp.co.uk and we will send it on.