THE man behind Chipping Sodbury’s forthcoming blue plaque scheme is giving a talk on the project at a national conference.

Hotelier Mark Lloyd will discuss how the town secured a £10,000 grant from English Heritage for commemorative plaques to be placed on the most important historical buildings in Chipping Sodbury.

He will also tell delegates at a conference to be hosted by English Heritage how the blue plaque scheme will also teach children about their local history.

Mr Lloyd, who runs Rounceval House Hotel, came up with the idea for a blue plaque scheme after researching the history of his hotel and discovering it was named after the town of Roncesvalles in Spain because Chipping Sodbury is on a pilgrimage route.

He gained the support of Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club and has involved local schools and businesses in the project.

The scheme has taken some time to set up and Mr Lloyd is hoping that by attending the conference, entitled Celebrating People and Place, and providing suggestions to English Heritage he will help other fledgling projects get off the ground.

He said: "There is a lot involved in setting up a plaque scheme and it has been a frustrating process.

"A guidance document along the lines proposed by English Heritage would have saved me a lot of time and effort."

The conference is being held at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London on February 18 and 19.

The outcomes of the conference will feed directly into a comprehensive guidance document covering all aspects of plaques work from funding and research to manufacture and unveilings. A committee at English Heritage is now deciding which properties in Chipping Sodbury will get the town’s first commemorative plaques.