Things are moving full steam ahead for the Pendle Forest History Group who are keen to find out about the landscape around the famous landmark of Pendle Hill. Following an excellent visit to the Lancashire Record Office in August, the group are now set to practice some field-walking techniques under the watchful eyes of the team from Oxford Archaeology North (OAN). We'll just have time to squeeze in a visit to a local site before winter sets in and forces us to hang up our surveying hats for a few months! Winter will be anything but a quiet time for the project, however, as four local primary schools set out on their own heritage discovery, overseen by Yorkshire-based Community Archaeology Ltd and ably assisted by members of the history group.

In Chipping, both schools will be taking part in a programme of activities designed to help the children learn about two very important village industries - traditional cheese making and chair production. Key Stage 2 pupils from St. Mary's had their first session during September and next on the list will be a demonstration from cheese maker Bob Kitching of Leagram Dairy.

Slaidburn Archive are continuing with their quest to uncover Bowland's limekilns with the help of old maps and a lot of leg work! We're looking forward to introducing the project to local people on 1st December when OAN will come along to give the audience a whistle-stop tour of Bowland's historic landscape from prehistoric times onwards, focusing on the area's links with the lime industry. There will also be the chance to sign up for a tour of nearby sites hosted by a local expert.

For further information contact sandra [dot] silk [at] lancashire [dot] gov [dot] uk or visit www.forestofbowland.com/landscape_stories