Organisers of the Malpas 100 Years On weekend have said that the commemoration has been ‘an overwhelming success’.

There was a large turn out for the village for the 100 years commemoration.

A parade saw a range of Malpas’ groups and organisations dressed in First World War attire, including the Flower Club, Scouts, Air Training Corps, the Ladies Choir and the Fire and Rescue Service.

On the Recreation Ground, the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, David Briggs, MBE, K St J. addressed the gathering who stood silently remembering those who lost their lives during the Great War.

Mr Briggs was given a guided tour through the ‘representative trench network’ which had been carefully constructed for the weekend by dedicated members of Malpas 100 Years On Committee.

Overwhelmed by the size of the1,000 Poppy Festival in St Oswald’s Church, visitors from inside and outside the village also packed in to see the displays of military artefacts and village life in the High-Street Church.

A choral of the Armed Man and four drama shows of The Way We Were were sold out over the weekend as audiences applauded a well prepared and professional tribute to the Great War in the village.

Congregation queued at the door to join St Oswald’s Church Remembrance Service on Sunday morning and wreaths were laid. A well-attended evening Vigil Reflection Service in Words and Music in Church concluded with a rousing singalong It’s a long way to Tipperary to end the weekend. After the service, churchgoers joined beneath Castle Hill as the village Beacon was lit with others across the nation and the bells pealed out.

The 1,000 Poppies Festival will remain open for two weeks after the Commemoration Weekend.