A SPECIAL exhibition to celebrate the 80th birthdays of social history collectors Sid Woodhams and John Stone is being held in Malton.

John and Sid turned 80 on March 18 and 19 and to celebrate the Woodhams-Stone Collection is holding an exhibition featuring items that have never been displayed in public before from the many thousands they have amassed during their combined 100-year plus obsession with the towns of Malton and Norton.

The exhibition, at the former Conservative Club, 32 Market Place, Malton, will run until Sunday.

Sid and John have spent their lives collecting and preserving items and printed material related to the history of the market towns.

In 2011 they donated these collections to the people of Malton and Norton to become a local history resource.

Sid said: “It is a brilliant way to celebrate my birthday – I feel like we are really making progress towards making the collection permanently accessible to the community. It’s fantastic – I really didn’t expect to attract so much attention on my 80th.”

John, whose collection is made up of largely printed materials and thousands of postcards and photographs, added: “People love to see what where they live used to look like – it holds a very special fascination. It’s a great way to celebrate my 80th with everyone locally who loves the history of Malton and Norton as much as Sid and I do.”

Di Keal, chair of the Woodhams-Stone Collection trustees said: “We really couldn’t let this momentous occasion go by without celebrating the amazing collections that John and Sid have brought together for the benefit of the local community. The items they have collected over the years form a significant social history of Malton and Norton and our aim is to find them a permanent base in the towns.

“We hope that lots of local people will visit the exhibition and help us celebrate this fascinating collection – they may even spot a photo of an ancestor or two.”