WAR themed events are taking place in Barnard Castle to commemorate the outbreak of the First World War.

Visitors to Scar Top, on Saturday, can experience what school life was like during the Great War, with lessons from a period headmaster and games.

There will also be demonstrations of ‘wash days’, showing how clothes were washed at that time, bathing and what soaps were used.

Kando Arts will be running shadow theatre workshops throughout the event and presenting their First World War-related film Lives In Letters, in the Methodist Hall, at Scar Top.

The 30-minute film uses shadow theatre techniques to tell five short stories of ordinary people caught up in the war.

The event, which is the fifth in Barnard Castle Town Council’s summer events programmes, runs from 11am to 3pm.

Councillor Tony Cooke, from the town council’s Partnership Committee, said: “First World War day is an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to discover a bit of what life might have been like during this time.

“It will commemorate the centenary of the war but people can also have fun at the same time.”

Meanwhile, representatives from the Bowes Museum’s project To Serve King and Country will be in attendance at the Methodist Hall, providing information about the initiative and recruiting volunteers.

Visitors can bring significant photographs, mementoes or artefacts from their family to scan and discuss.

They will also be running two activities for children and young people – creating decorative pin cushions and a game connecting modern-day streets with the lives of residents who lived there 100 years ago.