HOOVER, Heinz and Kodak are just some of the mega-brands which helped shape the history of west London's working community.

Such companies employed generations of Londoners in post-war Britain, yet the lives of those who worked within the factories has remained largely unexplored.

Now a North Kensington history group is seeking out former workers in a bid to lift the lid on the past.

HistoryTALK, based in Lancaster Road, is looking for around 100 volunteers to talk about their lives in the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

David Welsh, 57, who remembers Arthur Scargill rallying workers in Willesden, explained: "This is a very under-researched area of history. The war transformed Britain. Many people didn't want the country to go back to the way it was before - unemployment and poverty.

"These people worked to help create the welfare state, and believed in it too."

Volunteers from HistoryTALK, which has been based in the Royal Borough for 20 years, intend to talk to former workers about their day-to-day lives.

From factory conditions, pay, and the role of women and migrants, they intent to paint a pictures of times past by interviewing elderly members of the community.

The group is particularly interested in the work of trade unions. It plans to publish its discoveries on the TUC Library Collections website.

It is hoped the details they discover will inform future generations about the challenges of re-building Britain, an issue which is become increasingly relevant in the current economic crisis.

"If we don't interview these people now, we may lose their historical record forever," added Mr Welsh.

If you would like to take part and be interviewed by the group, please contact David or Rima by calling 020 7792 2282 or email info@historytalk.org