RESIDENTS in Malmesbury have joined together to raise funds to bring some of the town’s memories back to life.

During the 1970-90s, Colin Forward took thousands of photos of Malmesbury people, places and events.

Colin died in 2001 and his boxes of negatives have lain untouched until earlier this year, when his daughter Vieve went through them.

She started scanning the images and uploading them to the Malmesbury nostalgia Facebook page ‘Malmesbury Now and Then’, where residents share their memories of the town.

“The reaction was astonishing,” said Vieve.

“Malmesbury people, some now living far away, have been delighted and fascinated by the memories they have brought back, of people they used to know, good times they once had, and how they and their family and friends used to look.”

“They tell me lots of stories about people and you don’t expect it.

“I was born and raised in Malmesbury and most of these people in the photos I didn’t know well, just knew them as names, and now they’re coming to life.”

Vieve put out an appeal to residents to help fund the scanning of some of the images and received her target of £200 in just seven hours.

“There are still an estimated 10,000 negatives left, and despite the fact that I have been given a very preferential rate of £200 per 3000 scans, I can't afford to pay to have them all scanned myself,” she said.

The appeal is now up to more than £300.

Vieve says the collection has made her appreciate her father even more.

“The funny thing is he was very keen on taking photos but we were making fun of him as we thought they were awful,” she said.

“We didn’t realise what a brilliant record they were of Malmesbury during that time.”

Alison Cross-Jones, who founded the Malmesbury Now and Then last year, said Vieve’s contribution to the group has been “outstanding”.

“I thought the campaign was a really good idea to involve everybody,” she said.

“Vieve shares the images for everyone and we’ve all enjoyed them. It’s astounding the support she’s had in raising the money to get even more images than she first anticipated.

“It’s another thing the group have done to keep the history and the past of Malmesbury alive.

“You can see how much the town has changed and how the events have changed, such as Petticoat Lane.

“The photos are so unique, let’s hope they inspire people to continue to take photos today.”

Malmesbury Now and Then now has nearly 2,500 members online. Search ‘Malmesbury Now and Then’ on Facebook to join.

To donate money to support Vieve’s campaign, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Malmesbury-Now-and-Then-Colin-Forwards-photographs