Washington new town's earliest days captured on cine film

Here's your chance to re-live the early days of Washington New Town.

The first seven years of the expanding town were recorded for posterity in a film which was released in 1974.

We can share it with you thanks to the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive (NEFA).

Children cleaned the rivers

NEFA is focusing on retro footage which shows that Nature Matters. The latest film to be shared with the Sunderland Echo shows the construction and expansion of Washington into a New Town.

It highlights the community involvement in creating the new Washington, and children helping clean rivers and paths.

A need for eco development?

A spokesperson for Nature Matters at the Yorkshire and North East Film Archives said: "It also shows how the planning was also done with the car and factories in mind. And today, with cuts to public transport and disappearing green space, it makes us wonder whether future housing develops should be built around more eco-focused aims in mind."

Retro films with a nature theme

Nature Matters explores the archives through an environmental lens and looks for films with nature-based themes.

Find out more about the project and how to submit your films on the North East Film Archive website here.