TO mark the 25th anniversary of Heritage Open Days, a host of public buildings and churches in and around Bury will be throwing open their doors to the public over the next 10 days.

Tomorrow afternoon you will get the chance to go behind the scenes at Bury Met and learn about the history of the venue and the role the former Derby Hall has played in the history of the town.

Bury has a long and proud connection with the Lancashire Fusiliers and next Thursday there will be a special guided tour of monuments and buildings around the town which reflect that connection.

Much of the history of the area is held at the Bury Archives on Moss Street and there will be an open day there on Wednesday from 11am to 4pm. There will be an exhibition of items from the collection and staff will be available throughout the day to answer questions. Refreshments will also be provided so you can pop in for a brew.

On Saturday there will be a heritage and culture walk around Bury town centre setting off from Bury Art Museum at 11am. The tour will look at the architecture of the town centre and explore the town’s history and well known residents.

A number of churches in and around Bury are organising special events. Tomorrow Hugh Bearn, the vicar at St Anne’s Church in Tottington will be giving a guided tour of his church built in 1799 and explaining its connections to William Wilberforce and even the Von Trapp family from the Sound of Music!

There has been a church on the site of St Mary’s Parish Church in Radcliffe for more than 1,000 years and tomorrow and over the weekend, the current Grade I listed building will be open to the public.

Next Friday and Saturday, St John the Baptist Church, Bircle, will be hosting an exhibition of photographs and information about the are including details of soldiers who lost their lives in the two world wars.

The parish was also home to the former Bury Union Workhouse (now Fairfield Hospital) and part of the exhibition will look at what life was like for the inmates.

Bury Unitarian church on Bank Street was home to the first dissenting congregation in the town when, in 1719, the first building was opened. Next Friday and Saturday there will be tours of the current church and a chance to see some church memorabilia.

Across Greater Manchester there are more than 100 different events to mark Heritage Open Days. All events are free but some may require booking in advance due to limited numbers.

For full details of all events, visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk.