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Take a journey back to the 1940s at Home Front event

A special event at a Staffordshire museum is set to bring the life of the Home Front to the modern day.

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Diane Lear-Hargreaves will be digging for victory at the event at Museum of Cannock Chase

The Museum of Cannock Chase will be holding its annual Home Front Hednesford event at the museum on Valley Road on September 23.

The event is a celebration of local life on the Home Front in Hednesford during the 1940s and will have a range of activities and events for people to enjoy, with re-enactors and vintage vehicles on display.

Attendees will also be able to see what it was like to sit in an Anderson shelter, look at local history displays such as what happened to the Cannock Chase Spitfire and take part in the Dig for Victory corner.

Members of staff will also be taking part in the day by dressing up in period clothing, with a Bevan Boy, an ARP warden and a 1940s housewife among those present and there will be performances from the Henderson Big Band, soloist Diana Gunn and "Hednesford Heroes - we were there" by the Tower Players.

Museum visitor services officer Rachel Gentle said the day, which normally took place in May, but was postponed due to the King's Coronation, was a great way of looking at how people lived and worked during the war on the Home Front.

She said: "Like so many other areas, the people of Cannock Chase had every aspect of their lives affected by the war, including raising £2,000 per week for the Cannock Chaser Spitfire, which saw active duty during the war.

"The event is really important because it highlights the local history, but also the museum collection, so a lot of our items will be on display for people to interact with, have a look around the museum and talk with the staff about the items.

"Our staff do enjoy this event and will all be out there dressed in 1940s period clothing, taking on different roles and sharing their knowledge with local people and visitors from further afield."

The event will also have period food and drink, including black market cream teas, Victoria Sponge and carrot cake.

Ticket on the day will cost £4 per person, with under 16s admitted for free.

To find out more about the event and what is taking place, go to inspiringhealthylifestyles.org/centres/museum-of-cannock-chase/

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