A PRIMARY school has taken part in a cinematic project to allow children to learn about Accrington’s history through film.

Pupils at Hyndburn Park Primary School have been learning about the heritage on their doorstep through a bespoke film titled ‘Amazing Accrington’.

It was developed and produced as part of the Heritage Lottery-funded town square project and uses a combination of film shot in July 2016, archive images and animation to bring to life Accrington’s history.

The film begins with the contribution to the global textile industry of Frederick Gatty, and the children are taken to Gatty Park, Frederick’s former home, just five minutes’ walk from the school.

Saiqa Tabsim, deputy headteacher at the Park Road school, said pupils have been benefitting from the project.

She said: “We have been really excited to be a part of the Amazing Accrington project. The film is awesome. Our children thoroughly enjoyed taking part.”

The film charts the changes in the Accrington landscape over the last 500 years.

It also showcases famous faces from the town’s past such as textile printer Robert “Parsley” Peel, runner Ron Hill and John Rex Whinfield, inventor of Terylene.

The film is supported by additional digital resources, session plans, and activity suggestions which support the school’s Geography and History curriculum.

Cllr Clare Cleary, cabinet member for Accrington Town Centre, said: “It’s so good to see the pupils will be learning about the history of Accrington.

“The restored town square will commemorate the sacrifice and bravery of the Accrington Pals and will be the centrepiece of a project which will also see the restoration of some of Accrington’s key historic retail and commercial buildings.”