LANCASHIRE churches and a Blackburn theatre group have come together to take an emotional play about the Second World War to the famous Edinburgh Festival fringe.

The 50-minute drama ‘Home Front/Front Line’ is written by Rev Canon David Banbury, who is Blackburn Diocese of the Church of England’s parish mission support leader.

Its run in Scotland’s capital starts today as the actors follow in the ‘Fringe ‘ footsteps of famous theatricals including Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Stephen Fry, Tom Stoppard and Derek Jacobi.

The Blackburn CofE Diocese and the Lancashire Methodist Church District joined with Blackburn Creative Arts to produce the emotionally-charged look at life in the 1939 to 1945 conflict through the eyes of an ordinary young couple (Lizzie and Tom) serving their country in the Women’s Land Army at home and on the front-line abroad.

Canon Banbury, from Leyland, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled we have been able to take the play to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

"It’s amazing to think that a lad who failed English at school should end up writing a play that appears at such a famous event.

“We have already performed the play in a number of churches as part of 1940s weekends across Lancashire and Greater Manchester and people who see it find it a heart-warming and moving story.”

Kirsty Gwyn-Thomas, from Buckshaw Village near Chorley, said: “My character, Lizzie, is a young woman who goes from a dull office job to helping to run a farm in wartime.

"The play highlights the massive changes that happened in peoples’ lives during the war.”

The story of Lizzie and Tom is based on diary entries, letters and official historical records from the Durham Light Infantry.

The play will be staged at the Lime Studio, Greenside@NicolsonSquare until Saturday at 6.30pm.

Canon Banbury added: “Taking our little show on a big new adventure to the Fringe is an amazing opportunity to share the play with a much wider audience.”