The project, 'Last Orders, Please' aims to research the history of local pubs and communities, and record memories and recollections through oral history interviews.

With many traditional public houses under threat of closure it is important to engage people in a discussion about their place in the community and explore how they have been part of our lives. Volunteers will gain new skills working with experienced film makers and local historians to research and produce a DVD and exhibition highlighting the role of pubs and how this has changed as the communities they serve have changed.

Fiona Spiers, Head of Yorkshire & the Humber region said: “Public houses have played a vital role, not just in Hull but also the UK’s heritage. This unique project will allow the community to explore the changing role that public houses have played in the social history of Hull, and provide people with an opportunity to get involved and learn heritage skills.”

Project Co-ordinator, Norman Richards, said: “Among all the headlines about 'binge drinking Britain' it is easy to forget the role pubs have as a centre of the community. This project aims to celebrate the positive contribution pubs make while enabling people to gain new skills and learn more about their community's history.”

Paul Schofield, local historian and Pub Walks Tour Guide said: “I think it is vital to show the importance that local pubs have always had as community institutions.”

'Last Orders, Please' is a partnership between Cascade, Hull and East Riding CAMRA, Hull History Centre and Tour Hull.

Notes to editors

Cascade is an artist's group established to provide participatory arts workshops, projects, events and exhibitions. It is the aim of the group to promote inclusion through engaging local communities in creative activities www.cascadearts.org.uk

Two pubs have confirmed their participation at the time of writing - The White Hart (Alfred Gelder Street, Hull) and The Crooked Billet (Ings Road, Hull).

Using money raised through the National Lottery, since 1994 the Heritage Lottery Fund has not only revitalised hundreds of museums, parks, historic buildings, landscapes and wildlife sites, but has also given new meaning to heritage itself. People from every walk of life are now involved with the heritage that inspires them, making choices about what they want to keep and share from the past, for future generations. HLF has supported more than 33,900 projects, allocating over £4.4billion across the UK, including £341million to more than 2,500 projects across the Yorkshire and the Humber region alone.

Further information

Norman Richards, Cascade Project Co-ordinator on 01482 213447 or norman@cascadearts.org.uk