AN innovative map for the millennium is to be produced by students at Settle High School.

The project, entitled "Settle at the End of the 20th Century" will begin in September and will be carried out mainly by 13 and 14-year-old students in year nine.

The aim will be to present a detailed picture of the town and its residents at the turn of the century.

Brin Best, geography co-ordinator at Settle High School, told the Herald: "Settle has changed a lot since the beginning of the current century and will no doubt undergo further significant changes before the 21st century draws to a close.

"We aim to use the latest technology to produce a map which gives details of what each building in Settle is used for, and how the open spaces are utilised."

Mr Best continued: "We will also be approaching traders and residents of Settle to carry out interviews to capture day-to-day life at the end of the century.

"The ideas of the students will be central to the design of the fieldwork and investigations, which they will carry out themselves with the help of their geography teachers."

The students will carry out land-use surveys, interviews and small-scale enviromental projects across Settle in order to compile the map.

They aim to publish a land-use map in paper form plus an electronic version featuring extra information such as interviews, photographs and video footage.

This will be available on a special internet web-site and on CD-Rom.

The whole project has been made possible following a grant from a trust established by Nobel-prize-winning scientist Professor Frederick Soddy.

The school's project was one of only seven nationally to be awarded a grant.

Many of the students who will be involved are currently in their final year at Settle and Ingleton Middle Schools, and Mr Best will be visiting them there to discuss details of the project before they move to the high school.

Residents of Settle will also receive a leaflet about the project later this year, with details of how they can become involved.

Meanwhile, the school is interested in hearing from anyone who might be able to help with the production of the map and CD-Rom.

The school hopes to launch the results of the project at a special event in the summer of 2000, and copies of the map will be readily available to local people.

Anyone wishing to offer any assistance with the project should telephone Mr Best at Settle High School on 01729 822451.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.