Hundreds of children are to plot heritage trails aimed at forging new friendships among 22 Bradford schools.

The youngsters will visit each others schools as they develop the routes and also learn to become trail guides.

Involved will be 17 primary schools, two secondary and three children’s centres.

Spearheading the project, developed through Bradford East’s Localities Achievement Partnership (LAP), is historian and author Malcolm Hanson.

Mr Hanson, from Skipton, has been working with schools in Bradford, Keighley and Skipton developing heritage trails for the past eight years.

He said: “This is my biggest challenge so far and is aimed at bringing schools and communities together.’’ The routes will be developed by children and the ten-mile Mastertrail will be launched next Easter.

Mr Hanson, who has just published his latest book Keighley‘s Darkest Secrets, said: “At least 500 children will take part. We will have a lot of fun and they will learn so much about their area and develop new skills, such as becoming guides for their own families and friends.

“It will be a fantastic thing to achieve – the children should make loads of new friends. It should be a very rewarding project.”

They will learn about Bradford’s part in the English Civil War, the role the Knights of St John of Jerusalem played in the area and about rogues like John ‘prophet’ Row and his virgins, whose religious rantings made him a fortune. Also included will be modern celebrities like artist David Hockney, author John Braine and comedian Adrian Edmondson Loretta Howard, LAP administrator at Swain House primary school, said: “This is part of our plan for community cohesion – getting the children to learn more about their locality and putting their lives in context.

“We will be exposing children to history, but not just a list of facts – to things which are real and relevant.

“Malcolm is great, he makes things interesting and quirky.”

Some of the stories are included in Mr Hanson’s book, which took two years to complete and hundreds of hours searching monuments, graves and relics.

Keighley’s Darkest Secrets is a limited edition of 500 copies and available by sending a cheque for £10.99 payable to M Hanson to: Hanson, 10 Mill Lane, Skipton, BD23 2PQ.