Marking 80 years since the end of WWII, this free community musical is based on people’s memories of living in the area during and after the war – including the VE Day celebrations when the Billy Bowman band played to the crowds from the roof of the air-raid shelter on Main Street.

* Moving and powerful stories based on the memories of children who were evacuated to Cockermouth to escape the air-raids in the ship-building towns of the North East and who had to spend their first Christmas away from home.
* Reminiscences of refugees who lived at Moota YMCA camp after the war ended, working on local farms, helping to rebuild the country after the hardships of wartime, who used music, dance and song to build connections and relationships with people living here.
* Reflections from local residents on what ‘freedom’ means to them today.
* Uplifting new song written for the project by JP Worsfold, and arranged for choir by Dave Camlin, learned and sung by a scratch choir of local residents over this autumn, and performed in an open-air world premiere as part of the Cockermouth Annual Christmas Lights Switch On event.