A CHOIR will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the bombing at an international festival dedicated to world peace and harmony.

The renowned Warrington Male Voice Choir will be competing at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Accompanying them on many of those momentous occasions was the choir’s atron, the peace champion Terry Waite, who is also president of the Llangollen Eisteddfod.

After the attack the choir, which was established in 1898 and is one of the oldest and most highly acclaimed in England, readily answered the call to become involved in the Concerts for Reconciliation programme.

The choir performed on numerous occasions over the following years, both in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, and rapidly became known as the Choir for Peace.

Mr Waite said: “I have never been the sort of person to be content with simply having my name on headed notepaper. If I was to be patron then I needed to contribute.

“A series of visits to Ireland was arranged by the choir and I accompanied them, taking the opportunity to promote the message of peace through the spoken word whilst the choir did the same through music.

“At the public concerts held right across Northern Ireland and in the Republic, in Roman Catholic Cathedrals and Orange Halls, the same message was delivered.

“People from all the different sections of society attended and found comfort and inspiration from the events.

“Many were deeply impressed that the people of Warrington showed no bitterness. They felt pain and made no secret of that fact but they were determined to turn the experience of acute suffering into something positive.”

This year’s event is from Tuesday, July 9, to Sunday, July 14. For more information visit international-eisteddfod.co.uk or facebook.com/llangollen.