Change of venue for wartime weekend
“THE show must go on” . . . that’s the message from the organisers of the Yanks are Back in Saddleworth who have managed to secure an alternative venue for this year’s celebration.
This year’s nostalgic weekend will take place in the grounds of Saddleworth School.
The school will take a step back in time to the war-torn 1940s from August 12-14 for the 10th anniversary celebration of the event known in the past as the wartime weekend.
The organisers looked for an alternative site as they knew last year that the Churchill playing fields may be out of action due to planned drainage works, which are set to start in June.
Chief organiser Paul ‘Dogtags’ Higginson, said: “It is a weight off our shoulders and we have kindly been offered the venue.
“Saddleworth space is at a premium to put these kind of events on. We’ve already visited the school and come up with a plan for the event to utilise the space fully.”
Family favourites such as the military vehicle convoy, the Dakota flyover and battlefield re-enactment will be on the agenda with stalls, a funfair and exhibitions based in the school grounds.
Paul said: “We would like to go back to Churchill eventually but we’ll give it a go this year and it could turn out to be the ideal location.
“We’ve always tried to have a Plan B from day one. We’re determined to make it the event that the people of Oldham and Saddleworth expect and will enjoy for years to come.”
The event has been held at the school in the past, the 2007 festival being the last occasion.