THE trauma of children affected by war will be explored by a new exhibition, thanks to a £50,000 Lottery grant.

The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust will create the exhibition at the Oxfordshire Museum, in Woodstock.

It will centre on the stories of refugees, evacuees and child soldiers, as well as other children affected by war.

The trust learned this week that it was to receive the money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Trust chairman Ian Inshaw said: “We’re delighted to have secured this grant, which will enable us to demonstrate another facet of conflict and how it affects all involved.”

The trust was formed in 2000 to establish a permanent home for archives from the county’s historic military units, the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and the Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars.

The new exhibition, which will feature an online gallery as well as a museum display, will explore the effects of war on children and will involve schools and community groups around the county with an outreach programme.

Trust development manager Hugh Babington Smith said: “The exhibition will explore aspects of war and children’s contact with it, from boy soldiers and propaganda through evacuees and refugees to reconciliation and remembrance.”

The trust is also looking for volunteers to help with the project.

Programme manager Myfanwy Lloyd said: “There are so many jobs that will need doing in connection with the exhibition. We will be using the programme to help volunteers find worthwhile ways to use and improve their skills.”

Stuart McLeod, head of Heritage Lottery Fund South East, said: “This project will reach a wider audience across all age groups, with a particular emphasis on young people, connecting them with their local military heritage.”

It is hoped that construction of the new centre for the trust at the Oxfordshire Museum will begin later this year.

For more information on the trust, see sofo.org.uk