CIVIC leaders are planning a birthday party for Peel Tower.

For 150 years it has been a local landmark -- a welcoming sight for those returning home -- and a magnet to visitors from far and wide.

Now, one-and-a-half centuries after it was built, the Holcombe Society has teamed with Bury Metro and residents in the area to plan an imaginative celebration on Sunday, September 15.

Holcombe Society Secretary, John Ireland, said: "Peel Tower is a landmark that has been seen by millions over the years and is so much part of the local landscape that it is almost taken for granted."

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of its opening in 1852, the tower will be open to visitors so that they can climb to the top and enjoy the views. Bunting and flags will also be displayed, brass bands will play and the theatrical group, the Summerseat Players, will stage a re-enactment of the original opening ceremony. Police officers will be dressed in authentic "Peeler" costume and an old-fashioned Punch and Judy show will entertain the children.

Peel Tower was built in honour of Sir Robert Peel, founder of the modern Police force. Standing 128ft high and at an elevation of 1,100 feet, a trip to the top on a clear day gives fantastic views.

In the 1930s, the Tower became a popular venue to visit on Good Friday -- as it still is -- and during the Second World War it was used as a Home Guard lookout post.