A THOUSAND years of history will soon be on show in Abergavenny in a tapestry which has taken five years to complete.

The huge piece of artwork is the brainchild of Sheila Bevan, chairman of the Abergavenny Tapestry Group.

She said the last few years had been hard work but worth it.

"We felt it was very important to celebrate the Millennium in Abergavenny and it was back in 1999 that I had the idea of a tapestry," she said.

Mrs Bevan approached local artists Susie Martin and Sarah Windrum, who between them came up with the design for the art work. Then began a hunt for cash to fund the project, which took nearly two years.

Mrs Bevan said: "Getting funding was very difficult - but getting people to help was very easy. We held a public meeting and 70 people turned up."

Mrs Bevan added: "The artists are thrilled to bits with the end result - as am I. It took over 20,000 hours of work but is completely worth it."

The whole group loved working on the project, Mrs Bevan said.

"We were addicts and had withdrawal symptoms if for some reason we couldn't get there."

The tapestry will now be handed over as a gift to the St Mary's Priory Development Trust. Mrs Bevan added she hoped it would be on display in the mediaeval Tythe Barn by the end of the year.