We’ve had a great response to our last post – watch this space!
As well as the parish church concert on Saturday 16th July from 4 – 9pm, we have a great line-up for the acoustic concert the previous night, headlined by our good friend Dick Brice. With informal music sessions every day, Morris and ceilidh dancing on the Saturday as well as the Fete, the Poetry Festival and the Young Poets and Storytellers Competition, we’re looking forward to another great weekend – come on down!
We will be having a live concert in the parish church on Saturday 16th July as part of this year’s Mitcheldean Festival.
We have a great emerging line up, including our good friends Mice in a Matchbox, but there are four slots still unfilled.
If you or anyone you know would like to put together a 25-minute performance spot, please get in touch via talktous@mitcheldeanfestival.fod.uk – Many thanks!
After two years of only meeting online, we will be live in Mitcheldean from 15th – 17th July 2022.
More details of the programme available shortly, but there will be singing, dancing, poetry and storytelling – plus the new tug-of-war contest at the village fete between the White Horse and the Lamb Inn.
We look forward to seeing you in July, put the dates in your diary – Cheers!
The spectacular success in adverse circumstance of this year’s Young Poets & Story-tellers Competitions will be celebrated at the online Poetry Festival from 2pm on Saturday 17th July, with the full awards ceremony and presentation of prizes held later in the year.
The advance programme looks like this:
2pm Introduction to the Poetry Festival including news of the competitions (but not yet the winners)
2.10 – 2.50 – Readings by Forest poets Annie Caville, Roger Drury, Val Ormorod and Carol Shepherd.
2.50 – 3.00 Paul Manning to introduce Maggie Clutterbuck and Dick Brice who will read from their new books due in September.
3.00 – 3.20 – Maggie Clutterbuck then Dick Brice.
3.20 – 4.20 – Readings by modern poets Tess Biddington, Ziggy Dicks, Jonathan Edwards, Ben Ray, Anna Saunders.
See the Mitcheldean Festival Facebook page for more details on how to log in.
There will be some evening singing performances online on Saturday 17th July 2021, but no concerts in the church due to the pandemic as already announced. Looking ahead to 2022, we would like to have your views on what kind of music you would like to come and hear in the future. There is a short questionnaire attached, please let us know your thoughts and preferences and email your reply to talktous@mitcheldeanfestival.fod.uk – we look forward to hearing from you.
Despite the Saturday thunderstorms, the first Mitcheldean Fete & Folk Festival was great fun, with grateful thanks to everyone involved!
Much credit goes to the visiting Morris dancers who dodged the showers to perform indoors and outdoors at various locations.
Morris dancers opposite the church.
While the rain washed out events on the playing field, the musical entertainment including country dancing from the primary school was successfully moved to the parish church, and the Morris brought colour to the stallholders in the community centre, with home-made refreshments from the WI.
The poetry recital in the library was a great success, with 25 local poets reading their work during the afternoon, and the evening entertainments — concert in the Brewery Tap, music session in the White Horse and barn dance in the community centre — all went very well too.
The weekend was rounded off by a Sunday “folk walk” round the pubs of Mitcheldean and Longhope, with singing at every one!
A selection of photographss helps to tell the tale, courtesy of our festival photographer Eden Tanner, and we’re already planning the second festival for next 2015.
Morris dancers outside the White Horse pub.
Crooked End performing at the Parish Church.
Local poet and singer-songwriter Dick Brice.
Morris dancers in the Community Centre.
Folk session in the White Horse pub, Mitcheldean.
The Minstrels at the Brewery Tap concert.
Singer-songwriter Tracey Dixon at the Brewery Tap.
The Folk Walk passing through a farm near Longhope.
