Slideshow: Back-to-back in Sheffield's old slums - a search for children of the 60s

The images were taken by photographer Nick Hedges in the late 1960s and feature parents and young children at home in the squalid and ramshackle houses that were a legacy from the industrial evolution.

Mr Hedges recorded everyday life in some of the most deprived parts of Britain between 1968 and 1970 in a project commissioned by housing and homeless charity Shelter, who are now hoping to track down the people in the photographs as part of their own 50th anniversary celebrations.

Sheffield will host an exhibition of Mr Hedge’s evocative black and white images next year and the photographer is keen to be reacquainted with the people he met.

“It would be wonderful to meet the children I photographed all those years ago and for them to be able to tell their stories,” he said.

“I often wonder what happened to them, if they went on to lead happy and healthy lives.

“When I was commissioned by Shelter to take these photographs, I never imagined that decades later they would still have such impact. The poverty and terrible conditions I witnessed shocked me to the core. I hope that all these years later, by reconnecting with some of those I photographed, I am able to hear good news of what happened to the families.”

Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb said: “We would love to hear the stories of the people behind these iconic pictures to help us mark 50 years of fighting bad housing and homelessness. I’d encourage anyone who recognises themselves, or family members and friends to get in touch and let us know what happened after they were taken.

“These photographs are a sobering piece of history not only for Shelter, but the nation as a whole, and it’s important to preserve the stories behind them. They show us how far we have come, but also that we must do more for the tens of thousands of families and individuals still desperate for a safe, secure and affordable home.”

During the 19th century thousands of cheap back-to-back houses were built in Sheffield to house a growing population attracted to the city by the burgeoning steel industry. Many of the houses had poor sanitation and by the 1960s were in poor state of repair, prompting a slum clearance programme which continued into the 1980s.

A total of 44,600 families were moved out of Sheffield’s slums between 1955 and the early-80s and in 1976 half of all the new council houses in the city were allocated to people relocated from slums in suburbs such as Attercliffe, Brightside and Tinsley.

If you recognise yourself, or someone else in the images, please email [email protected], call 020 7505 2032. For a full gallery of images click here