FAMILIES are being invited to a celebratory event as an historic Trafford Council collection is launched online.

Trafford Local Studies Centre's records and archives will be made available at www.trafford.gov.uk/localstudies to make it easy for residents to access material about the borough's towns and rural areas as well as information of interest to anyone researching their family tree.

The new online catalogue will be launched at a local history fair on September 17, at Sale Waterside, from 10am-4pm where there will be many free attractions including a 1930s sweet shop and an historical book sale.

Local historian Chris Makepeace will be attending, and George Cogswell will be offering specialist advice on the Trafford War Dead Memorial.

There will also be stalls hosted by specialist groups offering advice on everything from genealogy, conservation and local history to archaeology, heritage and market gardening.

Executive councillor Alex Williams said: "Putting our local history catalogue online is another innovative way of helping our residents and visitors to the area access information about Trafford more easily. I would encourage families to attend this event to learn more about the history of our Borough as well as finding out how they can investigate their own heritage."

For more information about the event, call Trafford Local Studies Centre on 0161 912 3013.