New family history centre opens

Researching family trees has become increasingly popular

Perth and Kinross residents curious to find out more about their ancestors are being given access to old records.

A new Family History Centre has been launched in Perth which holds Parish Records from across the area.

The earliest dates back to 1553 and is from Errol. There are also digitised records of births, marriages and deaths from 1855 until the present day.

Access to the service is by appointment, with trained staff members helping the public with their research.

The area has already had many tourists from the US, Canada and Australia who want to find out more about their roots while visiting the region.

Provost John Hulbert, who officially opened the centre, said: "Researching family history has become an increasingly popular pastime in recent years.

"This dedicated centre will be a valuable resource for people looking for information about their family tree. I am sure it will be a very well-used facility."