Imagine an 8 piece African drumming band Djabot, children singing and dancing and some carrying large collages of insects and birds on sticks, numerous colourful batik flags flying high, a 10 metre long Chinese Dragon puppet operated by 7 people, Morris dancers and many families and friends parading between Coleford Library and the Clock Tower.
Imagine the sound, colour, excitement and joy the hundred or more parade participants brought to the start of Canopy’s artsFEST at the centre of the town where Pillowell Silver Band began to play as the parade entered the Market Square
This ambitious start to the Arts Festival connected the Library with Engage circus skills workshop, the GWR Railway Museum (open for free on the day) with the Market Square as a main performance area and the Baptist Church on Newland Street.
At the church farOpen artists offered ‘drop in’ workshops and the FoD Youth Theatre performed a Warren James play and afterwards offered a theatre workshop for young people. Two displays of photography, one promoting the Warren James Day and the other by the FoD Camera Club were in the main hall.
2 hours later a second Parade led the festivities with a Samba Band – ‘Forest Thump’, a choir, the Chinese Dragon (again!) and numerous artists and friends singing and dancing. Certainly, anyone in Coleford who did not know about the festival heard the wonderful drum beat and saw the vibrant colours.
At the Market Square which acted as the main performance area, Wyldwood brought a Horsebox offering a Nail Bar in colours of the forest; John Slater showed his PoetrySalmon high lighting the issues of pollution on our local rivers; Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust ran a stall reflecting our partnership and support for the natural environment and the STAND gazebo drew attention to issues related to the nuclear industry.
A total of over 20 organisations contributed, including 2 schools and 12 arts organisations with approximately 1500 attending on the day and in excess of 150 involved in community activities prior to the event.
Of course, none of this happened by accident. Several months of planning by the Canopy team had run twelve community engagement opportunities. A Creative Walk in Nature from the Library in April was followed by an Arts workshop. Four batik workshops at Café Sixteen run by a professional artist, Joanne Callaghan, resulted in 15 flags and 4 banners. Two Creative Writing workshops in the Library afforded participants to works with a local published writer, Maggie Clutterbuck, and local painter, Doug Eaton, who demonstrated his process of painting as stumulus for writing. Two
local primary schools, Coalway Juniors and St Johns Academy, hosted artists, Abi Wright and Louise Penny, which resulted in children joining the parade to show their skills in singing, dancing and collage. Canopy mounted a photographic exhibition in Coleford Library showcasing Creative Walks in Nature. And a few days before the event a crew of over 20 people danced with some of Djabot, African Drummers and the Chinese Puppet around two Coleford housing estates whilst
distributing promotional leaflets and programmes.
On the day a large team of over ten volunteers arrived before 8.00am to erect gazebos
on the Market Square. Another ten volunteers joined during the day to help with
stewarding, supporting artists and generally helping with the successful running of the
event and a fabulous event was enjoyed by all!
As we reflect on the positivity, visibility and prosperity the festival brought to the various artists, organisations and businesses, we look ahead to our next artsFEST in Blakeney on the 24th August supporting the Blakeney Duck Race
Sara Rickard, Canopy
Canopy Creative Network 