A PIECE of local history is on offer...if someone can find the space to store it.

Jack Moss, 86, of Tockholes, started building a handloom in his Whalley Terrace home several years ago after he had finished renovating his home.

Now Jack is offering a local group the chance to take over the project.

To make the loom, he bought specialised pieces from local sources but when it was complete he took it apart immediately and stored it in his attic.

Jack said: " I made the loom, as it is a weavers cottage I live in, and my wife used to be a weaver before she started office work.

"But as soon as I made it I felt my achievement was over and my wife hated the weaving job when she was doing it so I knew it wouldn't be used."

The machine has produced a few sample lengths of cloth but no large amount of weaving has been done on it, even though it is capable of doing so. Jack has put the loom back together and is hoping to give people the chance to see something of their heritage.

He said that the recently-formed local history group Tockholes Time Team did show an interest in the loom after reading about it but after seeing it members realised they had nowhere to store such a big machine.

He said: "I don't think people realise how big it is, it's five feet long and four feet wide."

The biggest interest has been from Ann Swanton of the Winders Association, whose group is looking into buying a hut to store it.