AS television dramas such as BBC's Peaky Blinders and The Village offer a grim glimpse of life following the First World War, student researcher Rob May has been discovering how residents of a Northern town coped during the war — and his studies have been helped by Bude's Blanchminster Trust.

Rob, who is originally from Taunton and later moved to Bude, focused his research on employment and how women contributed significantly to the war effort. He also researched how the war affected crime and food supplies.

Much of his research was done at Teesside Archives in Middlesbrough, where he looked through historical documents from the early 1900s.

Rob, 34, who graduates later this year from Teesside University with a first class BA (Hons) History degree, has now progressed to the MA History.

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.