YATE Heritage Centre has marked 100 years since the Battle of the Somme with a day of themed activities and entertainment.

Yate Ukelele Players, St John’s Mead Primary School Choir, Apollo Wind Band and Ken’s Ukes were among the groups to provide a musical backdrop for the event on Saturday (July 16) performing many songs from the period.

For the first time, the centre played host to a sea shanty group, the Press Gang Rejects, and Bertrand Xavier and Ruby Moodwarmer played a medley of music hall numbers interspersed with comedy and dance, even persuading community heritage officer David Hardill to perform a sand dance.

“They were really funny and kept the troops entertained,” said Mr Hardill. “The World War One demonstrators went down really well too.

“There were not many events of this kind happening in the area, which is partly why we decided to go for it. 2016 was more of an intermediary year and this was more of a history day which people could tap into.

“We will do something in 2018 as well because the end of the war is more uplifting, although not as much as the end of World War Two.”

The day on Saturday also included traditional games and craft activities and ended with a showing of the official Battle of the Somme film at the Armadillo youth café, on loan from the Imperial War Museum.

An exhibition on World War One and the Battle of the Somme is on at the heritage centre until this Saturday, July 23.