Guernsey band repays debt of gratitude from war

A brass band from Guernsey will perform in Oldham this weekend — to thank locals for helping their Channel Island relatives during the evacuation of the Second World War.

Many evacuees were sent to Oldham and the surrounding area after the island became occupied by the Germans in 1940.

Seventy years on and members of the Guernsey Concert Brass are not only performing at the Whit Friday contests but will also put on a series of extra shows in appreciation of the borough’s wartime hospitality.

Catch the band performing for free in the town centre for the Oldham Festival between noon and 3pm on Saturday, or at Dobcross Band Club, with a free traditional supper, on Sunday from 8pm.