A Sussex-based group which has collected a treasure trove of historic film footage is to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

The South East Film and Video Archive (Sefva), which is part of the University of Brighton, is home to footage recorded in Sussex, Kent and Surrey dating back to the 1890s.

Established by university lecturer Frank Gray, the archive has more than 3,500 films.

The films depict life through newsreels and private footage of days out at the seaside, events, pageants and celebrations.

Among the treasures is the only known footage of Christopher Robin Milne - made famous by the Winnie The Pooh books - taking part in a pageant in Ashdown Forest in 1929.

The collection also features films which publicise Brighton as a tourist attraction.

A still from the 1957 film called Brighton by John King features the Brighton Promettes, who would assist tourists in the town with general inquiries.

Footage taken during the Second World War provides an insight into what life was like for those in Sussex at the time.

Mr Gray said: "Sefva's collection has grown year-on-year. By carefully preserving it, we can now use this rich material to bring aspects of the histories of the 20th Century to life.

"We curated the present exhibition at Brighton Museum - Kiss and Kill, Film Visions Of Brighton - which been enjoyed by more than 45,000 visitors.

"This demonstrates both the pleasure and the real cultural value which has been produced by the archive's work."

The collection is brought up-to-date with footage of the Queen's visit to the Royal Pavilion last year.

The films are used for educational purposes by students and researchers. Television companies also often buy copies of the films, which helps pay for their preservation and storage.

All the films are transferred on to video to preserve them, while the originals are stored at the West Sussex record office in Chichester.

Jane King, Sefva administrator, said: "It is unique to this region. There are private collections but we are the only regional public film archive."

Anyone interested in donating film video or digital media or who wants to see the footage should contact Sefva on 01273 643213 or at sefva@brighton.ac.uk