Who is Meg and what can her love letters written in the 1930s tell us about our heritage?

That is the challenge being set for the public by a South Woodford community group as part of its “Just a Bundle of Old Love Letters” project.

Community Healthcare Innovations (CHI) in Eastwood Close has been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant today to carry out research.

A total of 175 letters written by Meg between 1935 and 1938 have been purchased at a local auction and the group need volunteers to help with typing and researching as they attempt to uncover their secrets.

The �10,000 All Our Stories grant ties in with the BBC Two history series The Great British Story shown this year.

Stephanie O’Leary, CHI’s director, said: “We are so pleased to have been awarded this grant and can’t wait to get started. These love letters provide a fascinating insight into the life of a young female science student of the 1930s.

“We are hoping to discover a local connection and hope to be able to share the contents with not just the local community but with Meg’s family as well.”

CHI has been awarded the highest valued grant available, with �4.5million invested in more than 500 projects nationwide, including others exploring why Nottingham is synonymous with bicycles and lost pubs in Salford.

The group, which runs the Growing Kids project at the Roding Lane North allotments in Woodford Green, is planning a 1930s evening to tie in with the research. An exhibition will also be held to display their findings.

Historian Michael Wood, who presented the BBC series, said: “It is really tremendous that the people of South Woodford have been inspired to get involved to tell their own story and to dig deeper into their own past.”

Call 020 8989 0988 or email office@healthinnovate.co.uk to get involved.