A SPECIAL three-week festival which commemorated Moreton's brave war heroes has been hailed a success by organisers.

About 1,000 people turned out across the two weeks for the historic exhibition, Heroes of Moreton: We Remember Them, held in the Redesdale Hall to commemorate the Moreton and Batsford Men who fell during the First World War.

The exhibition, which ended last Friday, (July 25), was opened by Councillor Clive Bennett, Chairman of Cotswold District Council and attended by county councillor Nigel Moor, district councillors Robert Dutton and Rod Hooper and members of the town council along with about 60 residents.

Visitors also enjoyed a range of talks, poetry readings and musical evenings including Fiona Harrison who entertained with an evenings of war songs and a performance from the Shipston Band.

And events led by social and military historian, Neil R Storey, were also well attended.

It was one of the highlights of Moreton Art Weeks, a three-week celebration of art, literature and culture, which returned to the town for a second year.

Kit Havelock-Davies, chairman of the Moreton Business Association and Art Weeks organiser, said he thought the events went really well with visitors from as far afield as North Scotland and down to Cornwall.

"We were really pleased," he said. "This year was a proper success, last year we were just getting it started. This year with the addition of Heroes of Moreton it did well and we got lots of interest from local people.

"One of the biggest accolades we had a number of local people who were related to those on the memorial and said how affecting it was and how delighted they were given such a fitting tribute.

"We felt that was mission accomplished."

Mr Havelock-Davies added while they had no firm plans for next year's event yet, people should watch this space.

"You will just have to wait and see," he added. "We were lucky this year coincided with the 100 year centenary of the First World War. It will be a hard act to follow but we will do our best."