The Ash Heritage Group has received funds of more than £3,000 for a project marking the centenary of the First World War.

It has been awarded through the Heritage Lottery Fund and is part of its then and now programme.

It will focus on recreating the Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital which was based at Ash Village Hall during the war.

The project will record and research the stories of soldiers from the parish.

Ann Foat, chairman of the Ash Heritage Group said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“This is an important project and the grant will allow our volunteers to record life in our village during the First World War and build an archive of material which will be shared for generations to come.”

Volunteers will collect photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, letters and keepsakes as well as family tales which have been passed down to build a clearer picture of what life was really like.

The research will culminate in a three day exhibition at the village hall with volunteers taking part in a dramatic production and playing patients and nurses.

There will also be presentations to the village youth club and Ash schools with the help of Quex Park in Birchington.

A booklet will also be published to the public which will bring together all the information gathered.

Stuart McLeod, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund south east, said: “The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond. In this centenary year we’re pleased to support groups such as the Ash Heritage Group who, through this project, will enable the local community to explore their wartime stories and help to build a lasting physical legacy for generations to come.”

The exhibition will open in November this year.