A new exhibition will feature banners from a community play about nuclear weapon protests.

Bridport Arts Centre will be exhibiting them in the foyer as part of the town of culture celebrations. The centre, along with the Bridport Youth and Community Centre and the Lyric Theatre, supported the production.

The banners were part of the A Common Woman Reimagined  which was performed at the Lyric back in April.

The play looked back at the protests against the use of nuclear weapons being placed at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire from 1981.

The protestors, made up of women, realised that a march alone would not be sufficient to get the missiles removed and so set up a camp that was in place until the turn of the century.

In collaboration with local historian Professor Karen Hunt and Bridport Museum, and inspired by a recent talk by Dr Elaine Titcombe to Bridport Women’s History Group, a group gathered an archive of local lived experiences relating to the protest to enrich the production.

Storytelling director Margie Barbour commissioned three banners, made by textile artist Maud Kilczynski, for the play which formed part of the stage set, created by set designer Holly Miller.

Life on Earth Banner by Maud Kilczynski (Image: Margie Barbour) The largest of the banners was a copy of an original hung on the fences at the Greenham Common Peace Camp in the 1980s. The other two designs are the artist’s own, based on historical imagery, reflected by recognisable landmarks such as Bridport’s Town Hall Clock.

Bridport's Town Hall Clock feature on one of the banners (Image: Margie Barbour) Claire Tudge, Director of the Bridport Arts Centre, said: "We are delighted to welcome this exhibition into the foyer of the Art Centre as part of Bridport 24, Town of Culture. It is a celebration of the creative success of A Common Woman Reimagined, and an example of the emerging partnership between Bridport Arts Centre and the Lyric Theatre.”

The opening of the exhibition will be on Saturday, June 29 at 11am and the women who played the Greenham women in the production will be performing the songs that were part of the play.

Jane Silver Corren, who led the singers at the Lyric, is pleased to return to support them, offering another opportunity to show the importance of the protest songs to the women at the peace camps.

The original production was sold out for each of the performances. It was financially supported by Bridport Town Council and Dorset Community and Culture fund, as well as the people of Bridport through a crowdfunder.

Information about the banners and the production will be on display for three weeks.