A CALL has gone out to communities across Somerset to help protect their local heritage.

People are being invited to nominate buildings, sites and structures in Somerset and Exmoor National Park that they regard as important.

The county and the park are among 22 national pilots chosen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for a Local Heritage List project.

The list can feature anything from medieval cottages to unusual postboxes - and even fingerposts such as the one in Sampford Brett.

The new project is being delivered by the South West Heritage Trust.

The Local Heritage List is different from the national statutory list.

Local listing will stop locally significant sites from being overlooked and will offer some increased protections through the planning system.

Mary Andrews, Local Heritage List project manager, said: “Anyone can have a say in deciding what’s valuable to their community by nominating a site.

"Nominations might feature rare materials or historical connections and could be anything from a factory to a front doorstep or a postbox and historic landscape.

"Places where important events took place, or where minority identities are celebrated, are also promising candidates.

"The key thing is that the site matters to the life and culture of the local community.”

There are several ways to make a nomination, including through the ‘Know Your Place’ website, or by post or email.

A free online event is taking place at 7.30 pm on Wednesday, April 27, where people can find out more.

To make a nomination or book onto the event visit swheritage.org.uk/local-heritage-list