RESIDENTS were invited on a tour to discover a school’s original underground air raid shelter.

Downs Junior School, in Ditchling Road, Brighton, opened its doors at the weekend for the Take Shelter event, which allows visitors to delve into the depths of the historic shelter.

Veterans were also at the event to give visitors an insight into their experiences during the Second World War with a series of talks and presentations.

Joy Rigby, Take Shelter volunteer curator and tour guide, said: “In today’s busy and fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget about our local environment and how it has affected us all.

“That’s why I’m so passionate about this project, it’s all about preserving and celebrating our local history.

“Every family has a story about the war years and showing visitors round our air raid shelter always gets them talking about how it affected their families.

“Capturing those local stories about what it was like here at Downs Junior School is what Take Shelter is all about.”

Ms Rigby, who is also chairwoman at the Women’s Institute and parent of a former pupil at the school, has volunteered for the project for the last three years.

She played a key role as part of a team working to transform the shelter into a space for pupils from other schools to visit.

The playground was transformed into a 1940s vintage tea party and fair for the event, featuring live performances from local music artists such as Brighton Jive and Jivin’ Jim Dandy.

Performers kept visitors entertained with opportunities to learn how to take part in themed dance routines and listen to vinyl recordings of wartime music.

The general public were given the opportunity to take part in a series of question and answer sessions with the veterans at the end of the event.

Heather Percy, a visitor from Herefordshire, said: “It was mind-blowing. Such a fabulous way for people to experience how it must have really felt during the war.

“The museum enables people to use all their senses to learn and it’s something that everyone, especially the children, will remember for the rest of their lives.”

The 45-minute guided tours of the shelter were held on Saturday and Sunday, with more tours taking place next weekend.

Entry to the 1940s themed events is free and doors open at noon and close for the last tour at 4pm each day.

Tickets for morning guided tours of the shelter are available to buy from brightonfringe.org.