ONE school is hoping to stand out this Walking Day to mark 100 years since the parade was cancelled for the first time.

Pupils and staff from St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School will be heading out in clothes typically worn in 1915 Britain to mark the year the procession was cancelled due to the First World War.

The boys will be wearing flat caps and gold braces while the girls will wear traditional white dresses but with circlets of flowers circa 1915.

Year two teacher Veronica Hesketh said: “We are also celebrating the centenary of St Benedict's Church this year and have incorporated gold into our outfits for this reason.

“The girls headdresses are not featured on the picture because it is a tradition at St Benedict's that they are only revealed on Walking Day eve. But I can assure you they will look amazing.”

The traditional amusements went ahead as planned on Walking Day on July 3, 1915, but the customary united procession was abandoned because of the war.

A separate procession was organised by the church schools for Sunday July 4 but was postponed to the following Sunday due to rain and was a more solemn affair than usual.

Walking Day was also cancelled in 1916, 1917 and 1918 to avoid disruption to production from the factories because many of them were producing vital war supplies.

It was revived in 1919 for what was known as the Peace and Victory Walking Day.

Warrington Museum manager Janice Hayes has written and book about how the war affected the town called 'Warrington In the Great War'.

In it she writes about the 1919 Walking Day: “Warrington was already in a celebratory mood with the revival of the town’s annual Walking Day which had been cancelled during the war years.

“Warrington was in gala dress on Friday July 4 for what was dubbed ‘Warrington’s Great Peace Pageant.’

“Never has the town more fully recognised the greatness of an occasion. The patriotic note was strongly in evidence.

“Most of the schools had their displays of red, white and blue devices in flowers or decorative material, whilst not a few of the children were picturesquely costumed to represent the Allied nations.”

Janice’s book is on sale now for £12.99.