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CHILDREN from two Yorkshire Dales primary schools are swapping their desks for front-row seats in a time machine to unlock the secrets of the past.

The children are taking part in Time Travellers - a pioneering pilot scheme organised by North Yorkshire County Council's Record Office, with help from the County's Historic Environment Record, in partnership with York Museums Trust and Community Archaeology Ltd.

The scheme is aiming to give youngsters a real and practical understanding of their history through hands-on experience of archive resources, archaeological artefacts, and printed records.

Councillor Chris Metcalfe, North Yorkshire's member for adult and community services, said: "This is an exciting and unique collaboration between a number of different organisations with one simple aim … to make the past more accessible to the present, and to give young people a real sense of their community and their history."

In the pilot phase of the scheme, children from two schools - Masham primary and Fountains Earth primary in Harrogate - are working with Kevin Cale, an experienced Community Archaeologist.

As part of the project, children from Masham visited the County Records Office to learn about the preservation of documents and artefacts which range from the everyday to the priceless.

The Time Travellers project is funded by the Regional Museums Hub's Renaissance Partnerships programme.

• Photo shows Masham Primary School children during their visit to the County Records Office in Northallerton.