HISTORIC images of Dartmoor will soon be available worldwide via the Internet, thanks to the launch of the Dartmoor Archive project.

The project has been launched after considerable research and the help, expertise and knowledge of the University of Exeter.

It is funded by the Heritage Lottery and the Dartmoor Trust and aims to digitise 15,000 historic images in the first year, making them globally accessible via the Internet.

Work is already under way to include the unique photographs of the Burnard and Taylor collections, some of which appeared in the books Dartmoor Century I and Dartmoor Century II.

A spokesman for the Dartmoor Trust said such a project was ?vitally important to the preservation of Dartmoor?s heritage, and will provide for the first time worldwide access to a multitude of information and resources relating to Dartmoor?.

?This valuable and exciting project will be of benefit to many people and organisations, both on Dartmoor and beyond,? he said.

The team, based at the university, includes director Mike Dobson, project officer Natalie Gibbs and project assistant Katherine Dunhill.

The Dartmoor Archive is very keen to involve local communities in the project and hopes people will search their homes and parish records for old photographs and pictures.

People are asked not to send items directly to the archive, but to contact the team first to discuss material that may be of interest.

The team is also looking for volunteers who might like to help digitise their own community?s collection of photographs, and would be particularly interested to hear from those who have experience of, and access to, a computer and a scanner.

Due to the wealth of interest already shown and the volume of images, the Dartmoor Archive is looking for further funding to extend the project beyond the first year.

The team can be contacted on 01392 264308 or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]