Residents complete memory project

Houses are deming demolished to make way for new homes in Stanwell

A multi-media story-telling project involving more than 900 people in a Surrey village has been completed.

A street art mural, a professionally-made short film and a book were created for the Stanwell Project 2009.

Residents gathered in the village hall to celebrate the completion of the Sharing Memories project linked to the £50m regeneration of Stanwell.

Participants aged from three to 98 years old were involved in the scheme led by housing association A2Dominion.

The Stanwell New Start regeneration scheme, for which demolition started in May, will see a total of 164 homes replaced with 360 new flats and houses.

The work is taking place over four phases and the project is expected to take about five years to complete.

'Enthusing youth'

Resident Jane King said: "I have lived in Stanwell all my life and was sad to hear that my family home was to be pulled down.

"However the work that is being done to regenerate the area and enthuse the youth about their home town and encourage the older generation to share their experiences has made me very happy."

Copies of the book Sharing Memories went on sale at the event. Proceeds will go towards community projects, the first of which will be the Stanwell Festival aimed at showcasing the talents of Stanwell residents.

David Price, A2Dominion regeneration director, said: "The aim of the Stanwell Project 2009 was to build on the strong sense of community in the area and capture the social history of residents at a time of change.

"We've been thrilled by the enthusiasm of so many people, young and old alike, who have taken the time to get involved."