PEOPLE across Cirencester are being encouraged to get involved as much as possible in a yearlong programme of events to mark 100 years since the start of the First World War.

The Cirencester Community Development Trust has revealed a comprehensive list of all events taking place in the town to commemorate the anniversary.

Starting in May and finishing in January, this year will see Cirencester stage more than 20 different events ranging from concerts and silent auctions to guided walks and stage shows.

Cllr Shirley Alexander, chairman of the Trust’s culture and heritage team, said it is vital that Cirencester remembers what happened a century ago.

“If people forget what happens in war, they do so at their own peril. It is important for us to understand what happened in that war and how dreadful it was,” she said.

The first event is set to take place on Monday, May 5 and will see a vintage 1914-style market held in the centre of Cirencester.

Other events happening next month include a silent auction on Saturday, May 10 at Barton House in Cirencester.

The auction, which is a ticketed event, will raise money to fund a project to plant First World War memorial trees throughout the town.

Cllr Alexander said: “There is so much going on in the town and so many opportunities for people to get involved.

“I’m particularly looking forward to the special screening of Oh! What a Lovely War in August and the wire sculpture at New Brewery Arts which I think will be really evocative.”

Over the course of the next two weeks, a leaflet will be delivered to every home in Cirencester detailing the year’s schedule of events.

“We want to make sure that every person in Cirencester knows what is going on in the town between now and the end of the year,” she said.

For more information on commemorative events in Cirencester, visit www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk.