ONE of East Lancashire’s most popular military gatherings attracted thousands - in a poignant year for First World War commemorations.

Several activities were arranged for Hyndburn’s Armed Forces Day, as the borough gears up to commemorate the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme and the Accrington Pals’ horrendous sacrifice.

Accrington’s Oakhill Park was packed out to see Mayor of Hyndburn, Cllr Tim O’Kane, and Cllr Judith Addison, the borough’s armed forces ambassador, get proceedings officially underway, and they were joined on stage by members of Oswaldtwistle St Andrew’s Primary choir.

And Cllr O’Kane’s mayoress, his sister Melanie Storey, performed a rendition of Mike Hughes’ Accrington Pals piece on the accordion, despite only being given two days’ notice to practice.

An entertaining afternoon was kicked off by Stacksteads Brass Band, followed by the swing band from St Christopher’s High and the Adrenaline Choir from Accrington Academy.

Classic rock shook the bandstand with several favourites, old and new, coming courtesy of The Boutiques, before Accrington Pipe Band brought the first half of the performance to a close.

Elsewhere a host of fairground rides, archery, a Punch and Judy show and a birds of prey display kept up the interest levels, with Heywood Tanks bringing along a couple of armoured vehicles to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

Later the Accrington Pals Prom took centre stage, the first event arranged by a volunteer-led collective in partnership with the Royal British Legion.

Langho’s Ella Shaw, a Britain’s Got TalentBritain’s Got Talent finalist, was a headline act, just hours after appearing at the Warp Festival in Manchester’s Whitworth Park.

She was accompanied on stage by the more traditional offerings from the East Lancashire Concert Band and members of Rossendale Ladies Choir.

Cllr O’Kane said: “It was a fantastic event and a real credit to all the people who helped to organise it.

“This is a very important year for the Armed Forces Day, which was reflected in the Accrington Pals’ prom. There you had a band and a choir which had never performed together but they came together on the night and it was wonderful.”

One of the main organisers, Anne Ellwood, said: “It as a superb day and well-supported by the public. “We wanted to stage something, which would not only remember the Accrington Pals, but also mean something to the modern generation.”