Heywood & Hopwood July 2016

AND IT’S GETTING BETTER,
GROWING STRONGER!
(Respect to Mamma Cass born 1941)
Saturday 18th June saw Heywood’s 1940s event gain even more visitors and exhibitors than
previous years. Unlike the previous two years, the rain held off all day. The bunting and flags
had already been fluttering in the breeze for a few weeks previously. The Queen's 90th
birthday started the celebrations and dovetailed neatly into the event.
This year also sees the centenary of the Battle of the Somme
and this was also commemorated with a remembrance
service opened by the Mayor Cllr. Ray Dutton. The service
was followed by the dedication of benches in the Memorial
Gardens donated by various, local organisations.
Earlier in the day trailers had arrived carrying 3 planes, the
Hurricane and the ME109 were sited on Hill St. together
with Military vehicles and period exhibits. The iconic
Spitfire was delivered to Heywood Market Precinct where it
was in the company of traders’ stalls, face painting by
BoHo Beauty, a Bouncy Castle and the Jeep and armed
petrol dump owned by Tony “Jeep" Wilson. Later in the
morning, a vintage bus, courtesy of ELR brought the
evacuees safely home to their waiting Mums and Dads.
The planes always draw great interest with patient
queues waiting to take advantage of the photo
opportunities that they create, thanks go to "Spitfire
Sharon" for managing this task with skill and
humour.
The Banjo Man, Bilko and many other entertainers
kept the crowds amused all day. Tom and Simon
from the Folksy Theatre group did their bit to their
normal, entertaining high standard and assisted Hey
Kids in showcasing their talents.
The interactive “Somme" trailer drew big crowds
together with the re enactors and period exhibits,
contributed to the exciting atmosphere on the
"encampment".
Early afternoon saw the military led parade make its way around town with eager crowds gathering all along the route to cheer
them on. The Concert at St. Lukes also drew a huge audience who were treated to a variety of local and professional acts. There
were many fantastic comments passed to the "turns" after their performances.
40 Visit our website www.streetwisemag.co.uk for all the info about the Streetwise magazines