THE mayor of Witney manned a machine gun on Friday night – all in the name of charity.

Peter Dorward was hosting a 1940s-themed party at Langdale Hall, which raised £600 for his chosen charities, Combat Stress and Witney-based Volunteer Link-up.

About 80 guests dressed in wartime clothing, while the venue was decorated with artefacts from the era. They ate “rations” consisting of fish and chips and danced to music from the Wood Green School Band.

There were also wartime sound effects and a projector showing aircraft.

Members of the Witney Air Cadets 2120 Squadron volunteered as helpers.

Mr Dorward, a founding member of the Bicester Home Guard living history group, brought a model sub-machine gun to the party.

He said: “People came up afterwards and said how much they enjoyed it. They were really pleased because for people who like this kind of thing they have to go miles to places like Bristol, Birmingham and Southampton – there doesn’t seem to be this kind of entertainment here.”