THE stories and memories peppering Canvey's past have been saved for future generations on a new online archive charting the history of the island.

More than 350 people turned out for the launch of the new Lottery-funded scheme at Canvey Library.

Staff from the Essex records office were on hand and two vintage buses from the Castle Point Transport Museum were out and about to help promote the archive's launch.

Sue Hampson, from Canvey Library, said: "It was an absolutely brilliant day.

"Some people came in with documents for old houses and the buses were superb."

The memory bank, which was officially opened by Castle Point mayor Beverley Egan and Canvey councillor Ray Howard, has been in the pipeline since 2006 but really got off the ground late last year when organisers won nearly £10,000 of funding from the National Lottery.

Mrs Hampson said: "It is not like locking photographs in a suitcase and never looking at them. This way everyone can see."

Doreen Vincent, 69, of Benfleet, said: "It was really great to see so many pictures of how Canvey used to be from the 1953 floods and Canvey seafront.

"There were also people there who you could talk to who remembered all those things. It was also great thumbing through old copies of the Echo and looking at memorabilia from Dr Feelgood."

Her husband Brian, 72, added: "There was a postcard collection from someone in Australia which was fascinating.

There were also holiday advertisements from the 1960s which really brought back memories because we used to come to the island for holidays as a family."

Now the archive is up and running, people will be able to register on the website and contribute their own memories, photographs, or documents.

It is planned that a member of the archive group will be on hand in Canvey Library for one morning a month to offer advice and help to anyone interested.

See the archive at www.canveyisland.org or from the People's Network at any library in Essex.