A PLAY dedicated to Laurie Lee's remarkable journey into war-torn Spain in the 1930s has been penned by the author's cousin for a debut in Cheltenham.

A Winter of War, written by Paul Downey, runs in the Everyman Theatre's The Other Space from Monday, July 26 to Saturday, 31, and while peppered with fantasy and what-might-have-beens, is based on real events.

"It's very much a personal point of view," said Downey. "Laurie, like many artistes and writers of the era, was horrified by the injustices going on in Spain at the time.

"He was so moved to try and right some of the wrongs going on in the country that he walked across the Pyrenees and into the Spanish Civil War."

Stroud Theatre Company presents the story of Lee, who was little more than a boy at the time and risked travelling at the worst time of the year in atrocious weather.

Tickets cost £7.50 on 01242 572573 or by visiting www. everymantheatre.org.uk