A CHURCH service and dinner this weekend will officially mark the disbanding of the 80-year-old Tottington Ex-Servicemen's Association.

A special service of Evensong will take place at St Anne's Church in Tottington this Sunday (Sept 21) at 4pm.

And the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, will dedicate a granite memorial as a lasting tribute to the association. It will lie in the church's north aisle.

A dinner for ex-servicemen and dignitaries will take place in the evening at the Wellington Barracks in Bury.

Vicar of St Anne's, the Rev Hugh Bearn, has been the chaplain of the association for the past five years.

He said: "Myself and the remaining members of the association did not want the organisation to simply fade away into obscurity. We wanted to go out with a real bang and to mark this occasion properly."

The church will now take over the organisation of the village's annual Remembrance Day parade.

Dwindling numbers over the years led to the decision to disband the group.

The Bishop of Manchester will preach during the church service, which will be led by Mr Bearn.

The Rt Rev McCulloch and the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Colonel Sir John Timmins, will be guests at the dinner.