HISTORIC film of early Skipton galas has been saved from being lost forever and will be shown around Craven next month.

The three potentially explosive nitrate films of the 1933-1935 galas have so far been inaccessible due to their chemically unstable and fragile nature.

They have been kept in a special store at the British Film Institute in London.

But thanks partly to a grant from the Skipton and Craven Rotary Club and the Yorkshire and Humberside Museums Council, the films are being transferred to 35mm "safety negative" and will form part of Craven Museum's exhibits in the future.

The 1934 silent film has been selected to be struck as a 16mm safety print and will be screened at 11 venues in Skipton and Craven in May.

Ultimately, a video copy of the historic film will be made available to schools, and the Rotary will contribute to the costs of this project.

Siobhan Kirrane, of the Skipton-based Craven Museum, said: "It's been quite frustrating knowing these films exist, but that no-one in this area could view them.

"So when the Yorkshire Film Archive asked if I would like to have them copied I jumped at the chance. By having this done we have saved the films.

"We can now use them as a window on the past and it will prove fascinating to people who were living in Skipton at the time, or those who may have elderly relatives appearing in the films.

"Without this grant from the Rotary this film could have melted away or even spontaneously combusted and been lost forever."

The silent films are all quite similar, featuring what was then known as the Skipton Hospital Gala, as it raised funds for Skipton Hospital before the NHS came along.

The 1934 silent film opens with the mayor stepping out of a car and posing with other dignitaries for photographs. The May Queen and attendants are shown before the procession, and crowds line the streets for the parade.

The film was shot by a local amateur camara owner and sponsored by the Regal Cinema, which later sold tickets when it showed the film, which bore the title: "Everybody is here today - Can you see yourself?"

Sue Howard, director of the Yorkshire Film Archive, in Ripon, said: "We hope the viewings of the film will prove fascinating for Skiptonians, especially those who may have been there. There are quite a lot of children in the film who may be around today."

The 11 screenings around Craven are part of a wider project by the Yorkshire Film Archive and Craven District Council's arts office, which includes many historic films of the region, including one of the oldest ever moving pictures filmed in Leeds.

The first screening will be at St Thomas' Hall in Sutton on May 8, with Skipton getting its show at the Baptist Church at 7.30pm on May 22.

For more details call Siobhan at the Craven Museum on (01756) 706407 or Liz Humphry-Williams at Craven District Council.

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