A MILITARY charity is marking the contribution made by a former industrial community during the First World War.

The steel town of Consett played a key role in the conflict, producing not only material required for the war effort, but also manpower for the Armed Forces.

Many men from the town and surrounding villages paid the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against German forces in the fields of the Western Front.

I Support a Hero, which was formed in 2011 by Iraq veteran Helen Hall, and her father, Shaun Bailey, is marking the centenary of the outbreak of 1914-18 conflict next August.

Mr Bailey, 59, a former policeman, said: “The area has a massive heritage of military involvement and it being the centenary of the outbreak of World War One it is a massive thing that needs to be commemorated.”

During the war the Consett Iron Company was taken under control of the Ministry of Munitions and the town’s furnaces went on to make an important contribution.

But the event is being held to mark the memory of the men of the area who laid down their lives after signing up to join local regiments such as the Durham Light Infantry and the Northumberland Fusiliers.

Mr Bailey said: “The steel making process was involved in some form of armament production, but we are concentrating on the boys and men who answered the call to duty and went and fought, many of whom did not come back, and the effect it had on the families left behind.”

The event, scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 10 from 12pm-6pm, will features displays from the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force as well as activities organised by Beamish Museum.

The past will be brought to life with actors in period costumes from Durham Pals re-enactment Society and community groups, such as Consett YMCA, and local drama societies are expected to be involved.

Businesses are being asked to sponsor the event and schools are being encouraged to take part to help young people learn about the history of the town and significance of the centenary.

Mrs Hall, a mother-of-two, who served in the Army for nearly ten years until 2009, and whose her husband, Darren, is a member of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, said: “It is going to be huge.”