Course starts next month at the Unity Centre in Church Road

Residents who live or work in Harlesden could soon learn about their family history thanks to a new programme starting next week.

Harlesden Routes is a free family history event which will run until March 2013.

It aims to support local people in taking the first steps in learning and researching their history.

The course, called Harlesden Routes, will start on February 6 with activities taking place every week at the Unity Centre in Church Road.

The free sessions will cover different aspects of family history using local records and online archives, photographs, social history, creative writing, interviewing techniques and the importance of DNA.

Patrick Vernon OBE, who helped set up the course, said: “Harlesden is a culturally diverse area with many untold stories and experiences of local history and migration which makes the area a positive and inclusive place to live and work. “We are looking for committed individuals who live, work and/or have strong family connections with Harlesden.”

Participants must be willing to develop a case study based on interviews and or research of an aspect of their family history which can be shared with others locally.

If the course is successful it could be set up in other parts of the borough.

Place are limited.

Email patrick@everygeneration.co.uk for an application form or further details.