THE past was brought to life for youngsters visiting Hall i'th Wood museum when they took part in their own archaeology dig.

Children were invited to unearth the past by digging for items in the make-believe dig, which were buried in large trays.

In the same manner as real archaeologists, the visitors used record sheets to describe and log what they had found.

The event, called Archaeology Action, was held to mark National Archaeology Week in the UK.

Youngsters also found out how the museum's keeper of geology would piece together clues about the past from samples of rocks, fossils and other artefacts.

They also saw how Hall i'th Wood has changed over the last 150 years by studying old maps from the museum's archive department.

The event was organised by Bolton Council's Culture Department.