Dozens of former pupils of a residential school opened during the Second World War have come forward to share their memories ahead of an outdoor production at the now derelict site.

Linton Camp, near the village of Linton in the Yorkshire Dales, opened its doors to evacuees from Bradford in 1940 and remained in operation until the 1980s.

Leeds-based theatre company Slung Low are to perform a production based on the stories of people who lived and worked at the camp as part of Grassington Festival.

Researcher Kate Beard said about 30 people, including two who were at the school the day it opened, had got in touch with her since a story about the production was published in the Telegraph & Argus earlier this month.

She said: “It’s amazing. I think overall it was a fabulous place and people hold it very dear in their hearts.

“There’s been a lot of interest in it. Their experiences have been considered and a flavour of them will be in the show. The actors are very excited so many people have contacted us.”

Peter Hartingdon, 62, of Baildon, who attended the school in the early 1950s and early 1960s, is among those who have contributed to the production.

He said: “It was very character-building, there was no doubt about that. The staff made it what it was – some of them were like parents. I was in the care of the local authority at the time and had been for a while before I ended up there the second time.

“The emphasis was on physical activity. If it was snowing and we were in a maths class, we went out sledging, or we built skis in woodwork class.

“In the afternoons we got involved in various clubs and we did a lot of sports including football, rugby, canoeing in the River Wharfe and pot-holing.”

Margaret Murray, 83, of Wyke, spent two years at the school after being evacuated there from her home in Girlington in 1940 aged 12.

She said: “We got homesick at times, but there was so much going on, they kept us busy.

“It was beautiful there. It’s where I learned to love the Dales. I didn’t know they existed, it was wonderful.”

Grassington Festival runs until Saturday, July 2. The play is performed today and Saturday, June 25.

For more details, go to grassington-festival. org. uk.

For more information about Linton School, go to hartingdon.com.