A GROUP of Morecambe people are preparing to make sure the summer of 2004 goes with a bang...

The Poulton Heritage Group is planning to stage a massive D-Day re-enactment on the beaches of the resort.

More than 70 wartime vehicles will be involved in a three-day festival remembering the Allied landings on the coast of France in June 1944 - 60 years ago.

Thousands of people are expected to flood into Morecambe for the proposed event, the highlight of the biggest ever Poulton Heritage Festival scheduled for September 10 to 12.

But organisers have hit a snag - paying for the ammunition that will be needed to stage a 'firefight' on the sands.

Chairman Steve Saunders says it could cost as much as £10,000 for the pyrotechnics for the spectacular battle his group envisages.

So he is launching an appeal to local people to 'buy a bullet' for the festival.

Steve says: "I have been amazed at the amount of interest in our event. We already know there will be thousands of people involved, including some from Germany and the USA. It could quite literally be the biggest thing to hit the resort since the War itself.

"However, all this has got to be paid for and at the moment we just do not have the money."

Lancaster City Council and major local companies are being approached for sponsorship for the festival but Steve hopes local people can also be persuaded to chip in and help.

"It will cost us about 40p for every 'shot' fired by the re-enactors who are coming to Morecambe," he told the Citizen. "At that rate the costs soon mount up and we must be able to pay for it."

Festival organisers also need volunteers to get on board to help with marshalling and stewarding of the weekend event.

Steve says: "The festival is growing and growing - it is already much bigger than any of us thought possible and we will need all the help we can get to ensure it runs smoothly."

For more information, log onto the website at www.poulton2004.com or call Steve on 01524-400512.