THOUSANDS of historic pictures of Hadleigh and Thundersely will be made available to the public after a community group received £10,000 of Lottery cash.

The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Hadleigh and Thundersley Community Archive £10,000 to scan and publish thousands of donated photographs and postcards.

The huge archive, from prominent collectors and powerful families, will be made freely available in slide shows, books and online.

David Hurrell, one of the group’s founding editors, said: “The people of Hadleigh and Thundersley have great memories and stories.

“This grant will help us capture these histories from their collected pictures.

“Even though our towns change, we love where we live and know there is much to discover about our past and make available to everyone.

“We are really excited about adding new skills and volunteers to the team, showing other people our findings and encouraging people of all ages to appreciate their local heritage.”

The group, launched in 2011, has received about 500 photos of old buildings from the Wiggins family. The family built half of Thundersley, including the council offices, churches, public buildings and hundreds of houses, through the Thundersley Building Company between 1920 and 1970.

The family of a local collector has donated about 2,500 postcards of south east Essex.

Slide shows presented by the archive group, from whose website the historic pictures can be downloaded, have already generated much interest.

Mr Hurrell, 57, Willow Walk, Hadleigh, said: “The old folk love them.

“It almost gets out of control when you get them standing up saying it’s them in the photos!”

The money will be used to scan the huge number of pictures professionally and train volunteers to archive them properly.

Kate Brown, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund eastern region, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this grant so Hadleigh and Thundersley Community Archive can embark on a real journey of discovery.

“Heritage means such different things to different people, and the Heritage Lottery Fund’s funding offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.”