Dales lovers hear Bill's stories online, thanks to lottery grant

Lovers of the Yorkshire Dales will be able to go online to hear stories about life in years gone by.

Bill Mitchell. Photo courtesy
of nationalparks.gov.uk

A new archive is being set up by Settle Stories, thanks to a £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The word-of-mouth memories of a recently past age were recorded starting in the 1940s by Bill Mitchell, a journalist of many decades and now in his eighties. 

HUNDREDS OF HOURS
When Bill joined The Dalesman magazine, his editor told him to put people before things. This he did by recording hundreds of hours of interviews with the men and women of the Dales which formed the basis for his written work. This library of recordings, once digitised, will enable a new generation not only to read history but listen to it.

Bill Mitchell was born in Skipton in 1928. After gaining journalistic experience on the Craven Herald, he joined The Dalesman in 1948, later becoming editor. He retired in 1988, but continued to write about Yorkshire, producing more than 100 books, and many articles for other journals and local newspapers.

In 1996 he was awarded the MBE, and, in the same year, the University of Bradford awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters. 

Settle Stories director Sita Brand said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. It will allow young people to learn about their Yorkshire heritage and will make the archive available and accessible to future generations.”

Further information: www.settlestories.org.uk