CHILDREN will be growing their own crops and researching town centre shops in the latest First World War project at Bacup Natural History Museum.

It is entitled ‘keeping the home fires burning’ and will be funded by a £10,000 Heritage Lottery Grant.

General secretary and photograph librarian at the museum Wendy Lord is leading the project.

The work includes decorating a room at the Yorkshire Street museum which will be Mrs Ibbitt’s 1917 shop on Saturday, April 15.

The open day will feature Easter bonnet making and children will be able to swap their money for old pennies to buy sweets that would have been around in 1917.

Miss Lord said: “The project is funded by the World War One Then and Now Fund and Mrs Ibbitt’s will be in a room just off the Fern Hill Room that we opened in November 2014.

“It will tell the story of the Bacup Home Front during the First World War.

“1917 was a time when the resumption of unrestricted warfare and allied shipping caused shortages at home and the introduction of food control.”

Mrs Ibbitt’s is based on Florence Ibbs who ran a hat shop in Union Street and sent war comforts to soldiers.

The museum is also working with pupils from Northern Primary School and cubs from 2nd Rossendale Scout Group for the project.

Miss Lord researched the period and found that children from the Bacup school took part in raising money for war comforts that were then sent to soldiers, prisoners of war and troops injured in hospital.

The groups are also growing their own, plants and vegetables for the museum, like people did during the Great War.

As part of the project the youngsters will be researching what shops in Bacup where like in 1917 and photographing them now to create a town trail.

Events take place until the project concludes in 2018.