TOMORROW, STROUD: Within 40 minutes of the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, more than half of one English regiment were dead.

At 7.20am on July 1 some 720 men of the 11th Battalion East Lancashire went over the top and by 8am, some 580 had lost their lives.

In The Accrington Pals, Playing Up Theatre Company explores the devastating impact this had on the community of Accrington, where most of them came from.

In this powerfully emotional play showing at the Cotswold Playhouse, Peter Whelan explores the lives of the people left behind and the effect it had on the whole community.

Women lost fathers, husbands and sons simultaneously. It is a story about love, life and loss told in a uniquely theatrical manner that is guaranteed to move any audience.

Playing Up return to the Stroud venue following their successful production of The Tamworth Two last year. Tickets cost £10 from 01453 760960.