Journalist Annalise Pavitt, from the Cambridge Evening News, took part in a massive community project yesterday – as well as reporting it.

One Day in May encouraged people in East Cambridgeshire to record everything that happened to them.

Photos, videos, drawings, words, and in some cases sound recordings, will then be used in an exhibition, turned into a play, and finally archived for future generations.

The project, which attracted £5,000 from the National Lottery’s Awards For All scheme, was pulled together by ADeC (Arts Development in East Cambridgeshire).

Annalise (26), who works in the Ely district office of the Evening News, also agreed to take part as well as covering the event for readers.

I rang Annalise at lunchtime yesterday to find out how she was getting on, and discovered that HoldTheFrontPage should now get a mention in this historical document.

Annalise explained: “I’ve been making a note of everything I have done today, and what was happening at the time – so this interview will be included as well now!

“I’ve also made a note of all the stories I’ve worked on today and taken a couple of photographs as well. At the end of the day I’ll write up a diary of my day and put together a package including the photographs, a copy of today’s Evening News and copies of any stories I’ve written today which aren’t in today’s paper – and then I’ll hand the whole lot over to ADeC.”

Annalise, who has previously worked on the Peterborough Evening Telegraph, the Ely and Cambridgeshire Town Crier and the Hunts Post, said the project had received a warm welcome in local schools.

Among others taking part were BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, who interviewed passers-by in Ely; DJ David Learner from Radio X-Cel, who recorded sounds throughout the day with the intention of composing a piece of music from them and farmer Cynthia Parson who was celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary.

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