PONTYPOOL Museum are hoping to reveal new clues about some old photographs thanks to a brand new project.

The Puzzling Pictures initiative has been set up to help discover long lost information about photos from the museum’s archive, and the team would like the public to help.

Pontypool Museum has been collecting local photographs from across South Wales since the seventies and over the past few years volunteers have been digitising the thousands of photos that the museum safeguards.

The majority of photographs have information attached to them such as locations and dates, which the museum uses to help catalogue the images, but there are dozens of intriguing old photos that have information missing.

The museum has created a display board that showcases some of these mysterious pictures and members of the public are welcome to call in and see if they can identify any of the people or places in the images.

Curator, Deborah Wildgust, said: “We need to ensure that our archives are accurate and interesting for Torfaen residents now and in the future and that the information attached to each photograph is correct.

"These photos have interesting stories behind them and we are hoping the public will recognise people and places so that we can add in the missing details.”

Museum staff would like young people to get involved with the hunt for clues by asking their parents, grandparents and teachers about the photographs.

“There are printouts available so that anyone can take this information home with them and ask their friends and relatives if they have any knowledge about these photos," added the fundraising officer Sassy Hicks. "This could be a great way for children to discover more about local history in a fun way and it might even inspire youngsters to become amateur historians."

The initiative is one of a number of ways that the museum is trying to attract 1,000 new members to make up for a £19,000 cash shortfall in its budget after losing council funding to prevent it from closure.

Membership fees are £15 per year or £20 for a family. Business, institution or club fees cost £60.

Membership benefits include free entry to all exhibitions, plus discounts and exclusive invitations to special events, a newsletters, and voting rights at the trust AGM.

Corporate members receive promotion in newsletters, on social media and on the website.

For details call 01495 752036 or send an email to pontypoolmuseum@hotmail.com