The market town of Pickering in collaboration with the Eden Camp Modern History Museum, is bringing back one of the country’s most popular 1940s weekends.
The popular event ground to a halt during the COVID pandemic but is now set to return thanks to the efforts of local volunteers and a grant from the Town Mayoral Investment Fund.
In a year celebrating the 80th anniversaries of both the Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan, the original Pickering War Weekend has been rebranded to "The 1940s Weekend" to reflect the greater focus that the revived event will give to civilian life and the town’s community spirit during the wartime years.
Previous themed weekends saw up to 30,000 people flocking to Pickering to soak up the town’s nostalgic atmosphere and enjoy one of the last fixtures in the country’s calendar of events dedicated to wartime Britain.
This year the three-day programme, which will run from the 10th to the 12th October, will see shops, cafés, inns and attractions re-creating the sights and sounds of the period, giving visitors the chance to step back in time as they stroll through Pickering as well as travel by shuttle bus to the nearby authentic World War 2 experience, Eden Camp.
Here, people will be able to immerse themselves in the era with the toe-tapping sounds of the big bands and renditions of classic hits re-created by live music performers and dancers including York Vintage Dancers in period costume, as well as touring Eden Camp’s 22 original prisoner of war huts learning more about the stories associated with the war. To make it even easier to attend, there is a dedicated shuttle bus service which will operate between Pickering and Eden Camp on 11th October for £5 per person for a return.
In Pickering itself, the town’s heritage will be on full show with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s steam train transporting passengers towards the coast; the Beck Isle Museum staging a 1940 costume exhibition; the Kirk Theatre holding a talk on the Bletchley Park Code Breakers and the Memorial Hall providing the backdrop for a vintage emporium.
The town’s streets will be decorated with 1940s-themed knits courtesy of the Pickering Yarn Bombers and the marketplace will be filled with a vintage car display, entertainment including dancing, people in period dress, as well as live music venues popping up in the local pubs.
Mike Potter, chairman of Pickering Town Community Interest Company comments:
“We’re immensely proud to be bringing back one of the country’s best-loved events that celebrates the community spirit of those wartime years, particularly in this very special 80th anniversary year.
“It plays to Pickering’s strength as a market town steeped in nostalgia - from the steam train and museum, right down to the recently renovated shop fronts and street signage that harks back to a more traditional era. Rather than focussing on the frontline wartime experience, people can expect a weekend that celebrates civilian life; an event where they can really immerse themselves in a bygone age and get a sense of how people still found joy and resilience in the face of adversity.”
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