DROITWICH is about to be invaded by Vikings as part of the Droitwich Spa Summer Festival.

The invaders will be sailing up the canal on Saturday, June 21 aboard the Pamela May, to attack Droitwich, recreating a moment which might have possibly taken place in the town more than 1,000 years ago.

The idea for the theme has been thought up by members of the Droitwich Waterway Pamela May Trust, which is organising the day along with the Rotary Club and Probus ’87.

One member is a historian and suggested that Saxon Queen Aethelflaed, who lived in the area around the year 912AD most probably journeyed up the River Salwarpe toward Droitwich, then known as Wych.

In the spirit of good fun the Pamela May is being decked out as a Viking ship for the day of the festival with a dragon at the prow, and shields along its sides, and it will be making its way into Droitwich to invade the town.

Queen Aethelflaed will be calling on the local ‘Saxons’ to join under her banner to drive off the Vikings, and people are invited to meet up in Victoria Square at 10am to join the Saxon hoard and drive off the invaders.

The Pamela May will be crewed by Vikings for the day, and will be taking people on short trips every 40 minutes from Vines Park throughout the day.

Children and parents are invited to come along dressed as Vikings or Saxons.

Sandy Laird from the Droitwich Waterway Pamela May Trust, said: “We just want to have fun. We hope that there’ll be a lot of little Vikings there with swords. We’ve got a lot of swords and breastplates they can put on and have fights while they wait.”