A FAMILY that never threw anything away is the focus of an award-winning book on Swindon’s heritage.

Swindon time Capsule: Working class life 1899-1984 was a result of a year-long-project led by Swindon Heritage and a local studies team at the Central Library, with a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It won the Alan Ball award, which rewards local organisations for their work to promote and share local history.

Much of the material came from former Swindonian Mike Attwell, whose family kept a huge array of documents through three generations.

Swindon Heritage co-founder Graham Carter said: “I’m delighted we won the award because I didn’t even know it had been entered.

“It’s fitting that it’s a national award because Swindon’s amazing heritage is as rich as almost anywhere else in the country, and we have a lot to be proud of, so I think more should be done locally to promote it as a centre for heritage. The book truly is a time capsule because it highlights what the town was like in the 20th century, through the everyday lives of ordinary people."

The collection focuses on Mike’s grandfather Jack Dixon, who lived in Swindon from 1899 to 1984.

“I really developed an affection for and affiliation with Jack Dixon, the key figure in the book, and I wish I could have met him. What I like the best about the book is it highlights the huge resources of the local studies team,” said Graham.

The main challenge was to tell the story of Swindon through an enormous collection of material, explained local studies officer Katherine Cole. “The book explores a vast donation of local history material by Mike and his family. His family, his parents and grandparents were involved in every aspect of Swindon’s life over three generations and never threw anything away,” she said.

The 160-page book can be read or bought for £10 at Central Library.