TWO teenage history fans hope to bring the past into the present for people on Canvey after launching a website in their spare time.

In between studying for their GCSEs and enjoying other hobbies, friends Joe Mander and Liam Heatherson, both 15, found time to set up Beyond the Point just over a year ago.

The pair, who have been friends since they were six, wanted to promote Castle Point’s history, and particularly Canvey’s past, to local residents.

They spend much of their spare time visiting places of interest and recording their experiences, which are then uploaded to the website for others to share.

Joe, of Gainsborough Avenue, Canvey, goes to Castle View School , and says he and Liam, a pupil at Westcliff High School for Boys , will continue to work on the website at weekends and during school holidays when they go into Year 11 next month.

Joe said: “School does come first, but we are going to carry on and just do visits at weekends, so we will fit it in around our school work.

“We’ve always had a strong passion for history and we know the Canvey community as a whole is very passionate about it as well, so that’s why we started the website.”

Liam, of Heilsburg Road, Canvey, added: “It’s really interesting and a different hobby.

“It’s quite important for the website to continue. History has a big influence on the island because it has its own unique location, rather than some other towns inland.

“It’s got a strong sense of community and its own pocket of history.”

The idea for the website started after a visit to Canvey Wick, where the two teenagers found some concrete remains which used to be part of an oil refinery.

Other areas the pair have explored include Two Tree Island, near Leigh station.

For more information, visit www.beyondthepoint.co.uk