YOUNG people went back to the past to find out more about their town’s fascinating past.

Horwich Heritage Centre enlisted the help of the Playing for Success Team to run The Locomotiv8ors Project.

The National Lottery-Funded project enabled all schools from Horwich and Blackrod, and a few further afield, find out what made the town what it is today.

Janet Rhodes, manager for Playing for Success, said: “Many people don’t realise that it was the trains which were important for the town.

“They brought people in and made the town bigger.

“Since The Locomotiv8ors Project started 36 weeks ago, we have had hundreds of children finding out more about the steam trains which made the town bigger than it would have been.”

During the project, which ranged from schools enjoying three-hour taster sessions to projects lasting up to six weeks, youngsters visited the Loco Works, penned poems, enjoyed a trip on steam train on the East Lancashire Railway from Bury to Ramsbottom as well as visiting a transport museum.

The young “history detectives” at Horwich Parish CE took their exploration of the past a little further as they took a trip through the decades, journeying from Victorian times to the present day.

They looked for clues around the town pointing to what it used to be like, visited places of historical interest, including Ridgmont House, which was built in the early 17th Century and the site of the bleachworks, as well as dressing up as train drivers.

Ms Rhodes added: “They found out what it was like to be a pupil in Victorian Days, and what the 1960s were like and made a film of what they were most interested in, which they showed at the celebration of the project.

“The children loved the project.

“The main aim was bringing people together to work together and get involved in finding out about the history of their town.”