ANYONE interested in the history of Kendal can find out more at a series of talks in the town this month.

The events have been organised by Kendal Library, with the talks given by members of the Kendal Oral History Group.

Today (Thursday, May 10) there will be a talk on The Yards of Kendal by historian Peter Holme at 2.30pm.

It will use extracts from the more than 350 interviews in the KOHG archives. These are the recorded voices of the people who lived in the yards in the early part of the 1900s.

They give accounts of what it was like when the houses had no electricity, outside toilets and how much it cost to live there. They include descriptions of such yards as Colin Croft, Sandes Hospital Yard and Dr Manning's yard and why the yard numbers do not appear to follow any logic.

On Friday (May 11) at 10am there will be a guided walk around these yards - meet at the library.

On Thursday (May 17) next week at 2.30pm, again using recordings, Peter Holme will give a talk, 'It Were Like This Me Lass', on the lives of Westmorland folk, their schooling, their jobs, their entertainment and their final moments. This will be followed on May 24 at the same time by Jean Turnbull's talk on 'Westmorland Rural Life'.

There is no need to book - just go to the side door of the library on Library Road. There is a £1 charge to cover the costs of refreshments.

The talks are being held as part of Kendal Local History Month.