The 'Don't Drown Our County!' touring exhibit telling the story of the construction of Rutland Water begins its journey around Rutland next month.

'Don't Drown Our County!' tells the human side of the story; and because the project team actively went all out to find and talk to those who were actually there, the exhibition enables us to get close to what it was really like 50 years ago when news of building the reservoir broke and Rutlanders lived with the consequences.

Hear from the men who built the lake; the children who watched their house pulled down and their playground disappear under the water; the people who campaigned to stop it all; and the school girl who fought the authorities and won the right to rename Empingham Reservoir, Rutland Water.

The exhibition features maps, photographs and personal documents given by the families, campaigners and local politicians who wanted to stop the work and those who actually built the reservoir, complemented by video clips of interviews with some of these key people talking about their memories of the time.

The exhibitions starts its travels at Normanton Church on Wednesday, June 5 - open to invited guests only.

The public tour starts at Rutland Sailing Club, in Edith Weston, the following day (June 6) where the exhibition will remain for a week.

After which the exhibition will spend a week at each of the following venues:

Friday, June 21 - The King Centre, Barleythorpe

Friday, July 5 - St Peter's Church, Empingham

Friday, July 19 - The Falcon Hotel, Uppingham

The tour finishes at Rutland County Museum, in Oakham, where the exhibition will be housed from Friday, July 26 onwards.

Entry is free of charge.

The exhibition has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Rutland County Council.