LOCAL drama group the Cradley Village Players mark the centenary of the start of World War I and its impact on their rural community with Herefordshire to the Somme - a ‘staged’ evening of poetry, prose, pictures and song on Wednesday.

"If any good came out of WWI it probably lies in the arts," says director David Robertson. "The war inspired fine literature, painting and music and we’ve assembled some of the best in each form. Our actors will not only read wonderful verses inspired by war but touching letters and lesser known material including an extract from the diary of an Englishwoman married to a German Count who spent the war in Berlin and describes it from behind enemy lines."

Bruce Herriot and Sam Roffe sing pieces by Butterworth, Faure and Gurney while Wynne and Andrea Harries will be playing music by Edward Elgar and Karl Jenkins. Elgar's 1919 cello concerto is a lament both for those who died and for a lost world. During the concerto’s slow movement, some of the many works of art dealing with WWI will be projected on to our dramatic set.

"We also focus on local heroes: people from our community who fought in the war or contributed in other ways," says David. "In particular, we’ll tell the stories of the 26 young men from Cradley who lost their lives fighting for their country. Among them was Rowland Kings, whose parents ran the village post office. Rowland enrolled in the West Riding Field Ambulance, part of the Royal Army Medical Corps, but was killed in action at Ancre in France, on June 21,1918.

Herefordshire to the Somme is on Wednesday at 8 pm in Cradley Church. Tickets available from the Cradley Butcher or online via Cradleyvillageplayers.com.