Monmouthshire Museums Service has received £9,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a brand new project called Monmouth: A Town at War.

Awarded through the HLF's First World War: Then and Now programme, the project will focus on gathering and displaying community photographs, memories and documents relating to Monmouth and the lives of its residents during WW1.

From service soldiers to war work for women, the changing uses of buildings in the town to the trauma of shell shock, the project aims to create a digital archive, touring exhibition and schools programme that enables local residents to contribute and find out about the impact of the conflict on the town and its people.

From September 2015, the Museums Service will be running a series of community roadshows across Monmouth where people can find out more about the project and sign up to become a project volunteer.

Volunteers will assist the Museums Service in gathering and uploading information and work alongside museum staff to create a community exhibition which will tour to a variety of venues across the town and local area. The project will also create school object handling boxes and a learning programme which will be available in schools from September 2016.

Museums Learning Manager, Karin Molson, said "Monmouth: A Town at War will make use of the latest digital technology where information can be digitally recorded and made available through an on-line interactive archive which everyone can access and contribute to.

"People can start participating in the project right now using Facebook and Twitter so if you have photographs, documents and family memories you would like to share just go Facebook MonmouthWW1 or Tweet them @MonmouthWWI and help to create a fabulous resource for the town."