Village's popular 1940s weekend 'to be biggest yet'

The Springwell Village 1940s weekend is set to be bigger than ever

Volunteers are gearing up for a trip back in time, as a popular community event returns.

Springwell Village's 1940s weekend runs from Friday to Sunday, and this year the theme has expanded to encapsulate other periods of history.

Organisers say the event puts the village "on the map".

The first event in 2017 saw over 2,000 people attend, with more than 3,000 expected to take part this year.

Multiple venues will run stalls and see events including battle re-enactments, a car show and a sing-a-long.

Hairdressers will also be on hand to get people into character, and there will be a talk from a World War Two veteran.

'Happy weekend'

The annual event, which is funded by Sunderland City Council, is organised by Springwell Village Community Venue.

Suzanne Shaftoe, community development manager, says it is always a "happy weekend", where members of the public can gain "knowledge they can't learn from books".

"It's a lot of work. There's eight, nine months' worth of preparation," she added.

This year's event is going to be "multi-period", and will include displays about the Vikings and dinosaurs

Ms Shaftoe says the event gives the village a "huge" economic boost, with local businesses getting involved.

"They've all got their bunting up, their windows dressed, and they all end up seeing how their staff and volunteers are just absolutely exhausted, but they've loved it," she says.

She adds that the local pub often runs out of food during the event.

"The amount of volunteer involvement is huge, without which it could not go ahead."

Actors dressed in costumes descend on the village from all over the country

Volunteer Jacqueline Foggin says "the whole village comes out".

She works with the Northern World War Two Association during the weekend.

"Every year we get different and more volunteers and different ideas. So it's always growing, and it's grown because of the people who support it and help," she says.