THE opening of a new shop at RAF Burtonwood is set to play an important part in documenting the history of the famous airbase.

The Burtonwood Association has opened a souvenir shop and gallery at the main gate to RAF Burtonwood and hope it will act as a "Mecca" for returning American servicemen and their families. The project displays memorabilia from the base's history including a selection of photographs from its opening in April 1940 to its closure in August 1993 and a deactivated 50 calibre machine gun.

The shop has been a labour of love for volunteers from the Burtonwood Association. Ian Murphy, the UK representative for the association, hopes it will prove a big hit with former servicemen and tourists.

He said: "We hope the shop will be a success. It is a place GIs can come back to and remember the base as it was. We have had quite a lot of interest from America and we welcome anyone to come and have a look if they are visiting the area.

"It is a little bit different because it is not just a shop selling souvenirs. It contains a lot of memorabilia which we hope will bring back memories and prove popular."

The shop will also be the first stop for anyone doing research on the former airbase because it contains a database of all those who have served at RAF Burtonwood.

The shop will be open every Sunday or by arrangement with the curator, Mr Murphy, who can be contacted on 01925 229898.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.