IF you are interested in the past and are on the internet, you can step back in time with the National Grid for Learning's local history trail.

The Government-funded National Grid for Learning website is running an online local history trail to encourage people of all ages to discover the wealth of information the internet offers.

The trail - which can be accessed at www.ngfl.gov.uk/localhistory - features online activities to show people how to get started in exploring local history and how to use the internet to discover the secrets of their area.

People can try out their new skills by investigating the history of York, and return to the trail to share their discoveries with others in an online gallery.

The trail has three main areas: quizzes, investigations and the gallery. The interactive quizzes cover three topics: getting started in local history; taking your study of local history further; and using the internet to study local history.

Tasks to try as a way of starting to explore local history are suggested in the investigations page.

National Grid for Learning content officer Helen Bader said: "Every area has an interesting story to tell, and the local history trail will help bring that to life for people. The trail will help people in York learn how to set about discovering the history of their community, using everything from locally-produced resources to national archives.

"It highlights the ways in which the internet provides access to fascin-ating information covering all parts of the UK. It is possible to uncover all kinds of records from a computer, be it at home, at school or college, in a library or UK online centre.

"Perhaps this event will inspire more people in York to put together websites detailing the history of their area."

The National Grid for Learning - www.ngfl.gov.uk - is a collection of more than 900 websites, covering all kinds of education. The local history trail runs until April 25.

Updated: 10:23 Monday, March 03, 2003