NOVELIST Margaret Drabble joined Huddersfield writers Aileen Armitage and Deric Longden at the launch of a website celebrating the lives of Yorkshire women.

From History to Her Story: Yorkshire Women's Lives On-Line was unveiled at Brighouse Central Methodist Church.

Ruth Sharpe, project co-ordinator, said: "It is exciting that we are able to feature so many Yorkshire women and the contribution that they have made to history.

"We can say without doubt that Yorkshire women deserve more recognition than they have been given."

A total of 85,000 images are featured on the website.

Letters rarely seen, by and about the Brontë sisters, can be inspected on the site, along with letters between aviator Amy Johnson and a Swiss businessman and the female casebooks from the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum between 1818-1902.

Details of "queen of song" Susan Sunderland, founder of Huddersfield's notable musical competition, are also on the site.

The West Yorkshire Archive Service manages the project, which has been run in conjunction with Huddersfield University and the Brontë Society.

It will now tour libraries in the region.

The website is at www.historytoherstory.org.uk