DURING the Second World War, Belthorn welcomed children evacuated from Liverpool and Manchester into their community.

Seventy years on, the Belthorn Village History Society is planning an evening when both evacuees, and family members and friends of villagers who took them into their homes, can relive their experiences.

Villager Jim Fletcher was nine and lived with his mum, Violet, in Belthorn Road, when Billy Gaskell, from Cheetham Hill, came to stay.

“I remember someone coming to the door and asking if we would take in a young boy, or girl, and my mum thought it would be good for me to have a friend.

“So Billy came for the duration. He came with me to Belthorn Independent Chapel School and we would spend our days playing in the woods.

“I didn’t have many toys, a catapult, fishing rod and bow and arrow, so we would play games such as hide-and-seek and make our own entertainment.

“Two years after leaving, he came back to visit and pitched a tent in the woods, but we sadly lost touch.

“There were quite a few evacuees in the village and I remember one family taking in three children.”

The society’s event is planned for April 18, at the Dog Inn, Belthorn, at 7.30pm, and an appeal has gone out for both evacuees and local people with memories of this time to get in touch.

You can contact Dee Davies on 01254 696891, or email deedavies44@aol.com