THEY were using words to bridge the generation gap in a quiet coroner of Southampton yesterday.

For the city's Bitterne Eastern Library was the setting for a special story time telling session. The listeners were a group of pre-school children and the readers were senior citizens taking part in an event entitled Storytime - Older and Younger.

It was part of a series of activities organised by the city council for the UN's International Year of Older Persons.

The two-hour story book session, including some children's favourites, was such a success that children's librarian Ann King said they hope to repeat the exercise.

She said: "The children got a lot out of it and I know the adults did as well. It certainly helps to build up a good rapport between the generations." The readers, Peter and Mary Honor, Enid Marshall and Gillian Etheridge, all from the Bitterne area, were kept busy as the young listeners hung on every word.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.