A BOOK containing all of the names of Norton residents who lost their lives during the First World War is to be removed from its home in the church for the first time in almost 100 years to be digitalised.

Malton and Norton Rotary Club will be taking the book, which has been based at St Peter's Church in Norton, to the British Library at Boston Spa where it will be documented and put online.

Once digital copies have been taken, the book will also be available to look at on the Europeana website which has a vast database of books, manuscripts, photos, paintings and films from across the globe to browse via an online library and archive.

Member of the Rotary Club Colin Jennings said that members of the group would be taking the book to the library before returning it to its home in the church.

He said: "The book will definitely come back to the church once it has been digitalised. We estimate that from about 1920/22 it has never really left the church.

"The book is a series of manuscripts written in beautiful calligraphy with the names of all the men and women who fell during the First World War who came from Norton.

"The British Library was extremely interested in it and we believe it dates back to about 1920."

The reverend Rachel Hirst at the church said that she believed the book was a gift of one of the previous vicars, A. C Don Vicars.