A WEST Devon group has scooped a cash boost from the most recent round of Millennium Festival Awards.
Milton Abbot Discoverers are a local history group — they have been given a £1,300 grant to create a special notice board with a map of the parish.
Chris Burchill, chairman of the group, said: 'We were very pleased, it's a feather in the cap for Milton Abbot and it will be of interest to lots of people, walkers and visitors as well as locals.'
The map will show sites of special interest with illustrations — it will be framed in oak and pots of plants will enhance the site.
'The hope is to place it somewhere near the pub where the Tamar Trail runs through the village,' said Mr Burchill.
Milton Abbot Discoverers has about 30 to 40 members and has been running for about five years.
'Our aim is to store, record and promote general investigation into the local history, legends and stories of Milton Abbot and build up an archive,' said Mr Burchill.
The group has created a library of about 20 tape recordings of villagers' memories of Milton Abbot in days gone by, which is available to hire.
There are also photographs dating back to around 1850.
Mr Burchill said Milton Abbot was originally known as Miltona, an abbey holding dating from around 875AD with the church of St Constantine built around 1140.
'In around 1840 a large part of the village was demolished and rebuilt by Lutyens — I think the Duke of Bedford wanted to make it in the style of what he considered a model village,' said Mr Burchill.
At its busiest, Milton Abbot boasted several shops, pubs, two or three saddlers and a police station with gaol. The gaol eventually became an abbatoir — it is now a private house.
In addition to the map project, the Discovers are mounting a new scheme for 2000, which will involve photographing every single resident in the village.