LAST minute panic spread through a group of local actors when they heard that Manchester city centre had been bombed.

Darwen Library Players feared they would have perform their epic outdoor production of "Accrington Pals" without costumes.

As the horror of the blast sank in, the Players realised that all the women's outfits for the play had been ordered from a business hit by the IRA bomb.

Library Player Craig Smytheman explained: "Naturally, we were all very upset by the bombing. And then we learned that the staff at the shop where we are hiring many of our costumes could not go into their building.

"If we can't get them in time all the actresses will have to wear replacement mill worker outfits."

The performance in Sunnyhurst Woods will run between Thursday, June 27 and Monday, July 1- the actual day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme, which wiped out thousands of soldiers in a local Pals battalion. A special performance for elderly and disabled people will be held in Darwen Library Theatre on Saturday, July 6.

Tickets costing £5 and £3 are available from the theatre or by ringing Craig Smytheman on 705850. A free bus service for ticket holders will run from Darwen Leisure Centre.

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