The Yanks are coming after all

Change of venue for wartime weekend

“THE show must go on” . . . that’s the message from the organisers of the Yanks are Back in Saddleworth who have managed to secure an alternative venue for this year’s celebration.

This year’s nostalgic weekend will take place in the grounds of Saddleworth School.

The school will take a step back in time to the war-torn 1940s from August 12-14 for the 10th anniversary celebration of the event known in the past as the wartime weekend.

The organisers looked for an alternative site as they knew last year that the Churchill playing fields may be out of action due to planned drainage works, which are set to start in June.

Chief organiser Paul ‘Dogtags’ Higginson, said: “It is a weight off our shoulders and we have kindly been offered the venue.

“Saddleworth space is at a premium to put these kind of events on. We’ve already visited the school and come up with a plan for the event to utilise the space fully.”

Family favourites such as the military vehicle convoy, the Dakota flyover and battlefield re-enactment will be on the agenda with stalls, a funfair and exhibitions based in the school grounds.

Paul said: “We would like to go back to Churchill eventually but we’ll give it a go this year and it could turn out to be the ideal location.

“We’ve always tried to have a Plan B from day one. We’re determined to make it the event that the people of Oldham and Saddleworth expect and will enjoy for years to come.”

The event has been held at the school in the past, the 2007 festival being the last occasion.

It is still unclear what is planned for other large-scale Saddleworth events that used Churchill playing fields.

Dave MacDougall, a member of the Saddleworth Round Table and organiser of the beer walk, said several ideas are being looked at should the fields be out of action next summer.

He said: “We are in talks with the council and the police to figure out alternatives.

“In case we’re not able to go on the fields in 2012 we are looking at using the King George fields in Uppermill to start the walk.

“We need to look into what this would entail. It would mean re-routing the whole walk. We can assure people that we’re thinking about it now for next year.”

Other venues are also being sought for the Saddleworth Olympics, however organisers of next year’s Saddleworth Show are still exploring possibilities, including postponing the event until later in the year.