PAUL Riches and Roland Mclain-Smith both grew up in Holmer Green and went to school at Penn Street Curzon CofE where their project began.

They were set the task of researching the history of their village and managed to get hold of the Holmer Green Guide, a book published in the 70s. It was an "intriguing map" within the guide's pages and it's opening passage which started their journey into the depths of Holmer Green's history.

Roland, 40, said: "One of the first sentences said Holmer Green cannot claim to be a village of any historical interest', and that was the red flag to two bulls."

Paul, 39, who now lives in Great Kingshill, added: "What intrigued us the most was what else there was possible to discover. We then spent the next year finding ways to discover local history."

The two ten-year-old friends visited museums and libraries and sifted through archives. They even went around the village knocking on doors asking for wills and documents. Paul added: "Because we were so young we got away with it."

After attending Chesham High the two went their separate ways and lost contact. Roland moved to Oxfordshire and Paul cut his teeth in sales at the BFP's sister paper, the Star.

Roland, a freelance IT consultant, later returned to Holmer Green and put a profile on the website, Friends Reunited. Paul spotted him on the web and this led to them meeting in 2003.

It was then they discovered that separately, they had both continued their studies into Holmer Green and, as Roland commented: "We suddenly realised we were still sad gits!"

After meeting, the pair were able to fill in the gaps for each others research as they had been looking into separate areas. Roland had concentrated on the landscape side of things, while Paul, the managing director of a printing company in Dunstable, had looked into the village's social history.

Paul said: "We found there was so many pieces that Roland was able to complete for me and there was ideas that I could complete for him."

With their jigsaw of Holmer Green's history complete, Roland and Paul were finally able to finish the project they started in primary school by publishing their own book.

The 60-page paperback entitled Once Upon a Heath has taken two years to put together and tells the story of Holmer Green's history from as far back as 1208.

Roland said: "I hope that someone will hook onto it and pick up where we have left off. There may be something in there that will capture someone's imagination."

Paul added: "There is no way you can stop a game of Cluedo half way through.

"What we wanted to find was the lead pipe, in the back room with Professor Plum.

"It's not a literary masterpiece, we're just two guys in business who are trying to pull a hobby together so that one day when we're not around, someone can use it as a reference."

Once Upon A Heath will be available from August 4 from shops in Holmer Green.

To celebrate our 150th year in print we're asking readers with fond memories of our history to get in touch and share their stories. Email us at bfpnews@ london.newsquest.co.uk, call us on 01494 755 081