A WINCHESTER based film archive is celebrating after receiving £10,000 worth of grants from a regional agency.

The cash windfall means the Wessex Film and Sound Archive can provide access to its collection of more than 20,000 films for at least another year.

Based at the Hampshire Record Office the archive contains films from the earliest days of cinematography to the present day.

The funding will support a part-time post to answer requests for copies of films and to add more details of films to the online catalogue.

Yinnon Ezra, Director of Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs at Hampshire County Council, said: "We are very grateful to receive this funding. Our partnerships with other organisations in the region, like Screen South, are important in helping us to make the most of limited resources.

“Together we can make sure that the wonderful heritage we have in Wessex Film and Sound Archive can be opened up and made accessible to ever growing numbers of people.”

The funds were provided by Screen South, The film agency for the South East of England, which has supported the archive for the last six years.

The archive, which is open to the public, is largely funded by Hampshire Council and by Hampshire Archives Trust.

For more information visit www.hants.gov.uk/wfsa.