MEMBERS of the Bude, Stratton and District Old Cornwall Society (OCS) feel they should connect with the youth of today to encourage them to learn about the people that lived in their community in the past.

This year the Annual Junior Schools Comp­etition involved using the latest modern technology in order to get the necessary facts. Each member of the class was asked to do some research that contributed to a single piece of work.

Their teacher took the class to the local graveyard for the children to read the inscriptions on the headstones. Individually they copied the words from a grave stone and researched that person using the website, library and old copies of the Bude and Stratton Post.

In class they discussed the information to decide on the one person they could all research most successfully. When completed they recorded the information onto A1 card illustrating with drawings, photographs, diagrams, maps, text etc.

The teachers said the children had thoroughly enjoyed doing the work, especially the visit to the graveyard and reading the inscriptions.

The prize of £100 went to Marhamchurch Primary School because their excellent piece of work was truly a joint venture. The project will be displayed in the Bray Institute at Marhamchurch for the last two weeks of January and in Bude Library for the month of March.

St Marks Primary School at Morwenstow was awarded the second prize of £75 for their excellent individual research which produced some interesting information.

Lucille Opie, OCS Competition Co-ordinator, said: "We thank the schools who took part and it is hoped that all the junior schools in Bude, Stratton and the surrounding parishes will be able to enter the competition next year."