THE second annual May Day rally at Dorchester’s Borough Gardens will be packed with bands, speakers and entertainment.

Hundreds of people gathered at the gardens for the bank holiday weekend last year and this year’s picnic on Sunday, May 6 promises to be even bigger and better.

Last year’s rally offered members of the public a platform to voice their resistance to the cuts that were made to local services and org-anisers hope to achieve the same level of support at Sunday’s event, which has the theme ‘learning at work’.

Tim Nic-holls, pictured, secretary of event organisers the Trades Unions Council of Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland and district, said the fun event had a serious message.

He said: “The whole thing is designed to popularise trade unions and show their crucial role in the community, as the biggest voluntary organisations in the country.

“May Day springs from the struggle for workers’ rights and against victimisation of activists in the last century.

“These struggles are just as important today, when workers from all companies and services are under pressure from cuts, cutbacks and recession.

“Trades unions remain a crucial part of our defence and advancement.”

Mr Nicholls said he hoped the event would build on the success of last year’s rally. He said: “This is our second annual May Day and we have packed in so much more.

“We have got together with Union Learn to provide a Learning Marquee, including digital photography and have more food facilities, as well as a bar in the bandstand.

“There is an impressive line-up of local musical acts, with the Yeovil band Bag of Rats headlining and a range of speakers from the local and national Trade union Movement, includng Hugh Lanning, deputy secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, who is coming down from London.”

The event will start at noon and between the acts union representatives will take to the stage to speak. For more information call 01305 224436.