SEDBERGH Orchestra will be performing live with The Battle of the Somme film at St Andrews Church in Sedbergh on at 7.30pm on Saturday and at 3.30pm on Sunday in Skipton Town Hall.

The performances are part of the Somme100 FILM project, which aims to bring together 100 live orchestral screenings of The Imperial War Museum's iconic 1916 film The Battle of the Somme to audiences worldwide between July 2016 and July 2017 to mark 100 years since the battle.

The original film shot by Geoffrey Malins and J B McDowell has been set to a new score by critically acclaimed composer, Laura Rossi.

The Battle of the Somme remains one of the most successful British films ever made. It is estimated over 20 million tickets were sold in Great Britain in the first two months of release, and the film was distributed worldwide to demonstrate to allies and neutrals Britain’s commitment to the First World War.

The film gave its 1916 audience an unprecedented insight into the realities of trench warfare, controversially including the depiction of dead and wounded soldiers.

It shows scenes of the build-up to the infantry offensive including the massive preliminary bombardment, coverage of the first day of the battle (the bloodiest single day in Britain’s military history) and depictions of the small gains and massive costs of the attack.

The performances have been organised in partnership with the Craven and the First World War Project, a Heritage Lottery Funded project which is organising a series of events to commemorate the centenary of the First World War in the Craven district.

Project officer, Rob Freeman, said of the forthcoming performances: “A live performance will be a unique and memorable way to experience this this extraordinary and moving UNESCO-listed historical film historic film, shot during the battle itself, and watched by over half of the adult UK population on its release in 1916 - a box office record not broken until the release of Star Wars in 1977.”

Both performances will begin with a short talk by Alastair Fraser, author of Ghosts on the Somme, which gives a detailed analysis of the film by setting out where and when much of the film was shot, identifies individuals who appear in it and even reveals what some men are saying.

The film is rated a PG and will last approximately two hours and includes an interval.

Tickets for both performances are £8 in advance, £10 on the door or free for under 18s.

Tickets for the Sedbergh performance are available from Sedbergh Pepperpot Club on 015396 21196 or Sedbergh and District Information Centre on 015396 20125.

Tickets for the Skipton performance are available from Skipton Tourist Information Centre on 01756 792809.

Both performances and have been made possible by the support of Arts Council England.