A thousand years of village history is being used to help improve the lot of local young people in the next Millennium.

Burley-in-Wharfedale is being commemorated in a special Millennium Calendar, which provides a fascinating insight into the growth of the village over ten centuries, and it is already selling like hot cakes!

Profits from the calendar, produced by villagers Caroline Jones and Alison Sutcliffe after months of research, will be donated to the Burley Youth Forum to spend on facilities for young people in the village.

Each month represents a different era in Burley's history and includes a colour map of the village at that point in time, pictures of well-known landmarks and historical events and other information.

January 2000 is dedicated to the 11th century when the village was referred to in the Domesday Book as Burgelai - one of Otelai's (Otley) ''outliers'' - and had an estimated population of about 20 living in just a handful of houses nestled by the River Wharfe.

A Millennium of growth has seen the village's population swell to well to over 6,000 in the 1990s. This period is featured on the December page complete with pictures of the work to divert the river to make way for the bypass, the annual duck race on the Wharfe and Burley Church of England Primary School - which is set to close in July.

The other eras in the calendars are the 17th century (when Burley's population is thought to have been about 250), the 18th century, early, mid and late-19th century, early 20th century, between the wars, World War II, the 1950s and 60s and the 1970s and 80s.

Pictures show everything from the Burley Town Chest, which dates back to the 17th century, to the Coronation celebrations at Peel Place.

Mrs Jones said: "The aim was to reflect 1,000 years of life in the village which was fairly ambitious but we're very pleased with how it's come out and we've sold more than 500 already.''

Mrs Sutcliffe's husband, Burley vicar the Reverend Peter Sutcliffe, said: "Burley has been around for a long time and it's good to have in one place an easily understandable picture of how the village has grown through the years.

"As we move from one Millennium to the next it's nice to think that history is helping to raise money for the children of the future.''

l The calendars, which cost £5, are available from Burley's Parish Office, Post Office, The Corner Shop and village schools.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.