I AM researching a history series for Channel 4 on the social history of the British countryside during the 20th century.

As part of my research I am looking for men and women in their 70s and over with vivid memories of country life before the Second World War.

I am particular interested in stories from the 1920s and 30s of family and community life in the villages and on the farms.

In some areas it was a very basic way of life that had changed little for centuries. How strong was the pressure on young people to marry someone suitably local? Do you have memories of the joys and hardships of working on the land in the days when almost everything was done by hand or horse?

This was a time when there were still hiring fairs, when the seasons shaped country people's lives, and when unemployment meant dire poverty.

I am also keen to hear stories of the advantages and disadvantages of living and working on the old country estates, still ruled by the family in the big house.

If you have personal memories like these, or know of anyone alive who does, please write to me.

Mary Parsons, Testimony Films, 12 Great George Street, Bristol. BS1 5RS.

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