A FACEBOOK page turned "mini time machine" which gathers photos of Caldicot's past has gained more than 3,000 members within two weeks.

The Caldicot Memory Lane Society was set up as an offshoot of the already successful Caldicot Community Page, which itself boasts around 4,700 members.

A select few members, all life-long residents of the town, began posting old pictures of the town from various sources onto the page.

"We quickly noticed how popular they were, but they were getting buried amongst other Caldicot trivia which we hastily needed to take flight of," said Ray Jones, one of the new page's admins.

"We decided to set up our own page and just over two weeks later here we are.

"There is a sense that a mini time machine has been created which allows people to to zip back and forth between all the decades and history of Caldicot at the push of a button."

Mr Jones also believes that the page is helping to generate community spirit in the town at a time when it "seemed to be fading".

He also has hopes that the success of the page will prompt the birth of similar pages elsewhere in Wales and the UK.

While the majority of the posts centre around Caldicot and Caldicot School, residents from outlying areas in Rogiet, Magor, Undy and Underwood have been welcomed by the group.

Fellow admin Dave Harris, said: "Sadly names are lost over time and it is wonderful that people somewhere know those names and can share that information and tell everyone about bygone days."

Tributes are often pinned to the page by admins, with a recent post focusing on the Welsh professional snooker player Cliff Wilson, who lived in the town.

A popular presence in the town before his death in 1994, he was responsible for bringing notable fellow professionals such as Ray Reardon to play at Caldicot leisure centre.

Admins of the increasingly popular page are also keen to make it as user-friendly as possible, taking into consideration the more elderly users.

He said: "What makes it for me amongst other things, is hearing that elderly people who are not so computer literate are now on their tablets browsing this page with wonder.

"Some of them lonely and no longer feeling part of the community, but now embedding themselves back into it, with their treasured old Caldicot knowledge."

Peter Jones, another of the pages' founders, added: "I am stunned by the response that this page has had, I don't think any of us ever saw it coming."

To visit the group, search for 'Caldicot Memory Lane Society' on Facebook.