FOR 25 years, members of York Oral History Society have been gathering taped interviews with local people in order to record their memories of times past.

They have talked to centenarians and sportsmen, war veterans and retired publicans, musicians and those with memories of work and domestic life in the early 20th century - often as part of a themed project that led to an exhibition or book.

As a result, the society has gathered together an archive of over 500 interviews - a wonderful resource for those interested in the city's social history.

While the interviews form the backbone of the society's work, however, their archive is much more extensive than simply the recorded voice.

There is a collection of more than 4,000 wonderful photos - pictures that in themselves provide a unique record of a fast-changing city.

The society will celebrate its 25th birthday this month with a reunion in the Marriott Rooms, at York's Central Library, on Saturday. The reunion starts at 10am for those who have been involved with the society - but will also be open to the general public from noon to 1pm.

To give you a taster of what you might be able to expect, Yesterday Once More dipped into the society's photographic archive to bring you these wonderful images...

* Harold Porter and Wally Beavers are two of the greatest athletes ever to come out of York, according to Mike Race of the York Oral History Society. "Harold Porter was my uncle and he ran in the 1924 Olympics - the Chariots of Fire Olympics," Mike says.

Harold, wearing number 55 in the photo, was in fact part of the British team that won silver in the 800 metres relay that year. Fellow York Harriers runner Wally, wearing 54 in the photo, went on to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. This photo shows them with other members of the York Harriers in about 1924.

* Everyone knows The Beatles played the York Rialto - but did you know that Louis Armstrong did too? This photo shows the great jazz singer and trumpeter with owner Jack Prendergast, in the centre, when he played York way back in 1932.

* Emily Fratsen was one of the centenarians the society spoke to for a project in 1998. She was 101 at the time. In her younger days she had worked as a nanny with some of the big local families, says the society's van Wilson - and even aged 101 she liked a laugh and a glass of sherry. The society took her along to her local in Osbaldwick Lane for this great photo.

* As part of a touring "reminiscences" exhibition in 2001, the society spoke to people about rural life on the outskirts of York. Our final photo shows farm labourers at Lime Tree Farm in Heslington, in about 1940. It is a powerful reminder of how quickly the world has changed.