Thanks for the festival

Jul 18 2012 Birkenhead News

THE artistic dust has settled, audiences and spectators have gone home, and the organisers and volunteers have put their feet up; another Wirral Festival of Firsts is on the history shelf.

And it's thanks to over 1,000 artists, poets, actors, musicians and singers, who provided Art on the Promenades, Gallery Hoylake, the Harry Pye exhibition, poetry proms, poetry trail, five plays, including two world premieres, two Shakespeare productions and music proms.

And thanks to the Bibby Duo, Ian Prowse & Amsterdam, Elbow Jayne, Wirral Community Choir, Wirral Ukulele Orchestra, Lormac Productions, Hand in Hand Productions, West Wirral Music Society, Off the Book Productions, Hoylake & West Kirby Theatre Company, Oldershaw School, Kingsmead School, John Hegley and Andy McCluskey.

And thanks for the Parisienne Night, Comedy Night and Rebecca’s Fringe FilmFunFest.

And thanks to all those people who provided the 30+ workshops and demos, and the three craft fairs

Thanks to the Holiday Inn, St Hildeburgh’s Christian Scientist Church, Hoylake Chapel, St Luke’s, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Hoylake Community Centre, Melrose Hall and to all the cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs which threw open their doors and became festival venues.

To the Hoylake HELP Shop for being 100% behind the Festival, and all the Hoylake shops and businesses, which displayed posters, poems and pieces of art.

Your Wirral, Wirral Partnership Homes and Willson Grange for financial help, and Cyberfrog and Liverpool Community College for help in kind. To the patrons: Mike McCartney, Billy Butler and the Singh Twins.

To all the committee members and volunteers who have worked for months putting the festival together.

And thanks to the council for the world’s first dedicated poetry tree.

Without the help and support of the whole of the community, including the media, especially Wirral News, there wouldn’t have been a Festival.

And if anybody out there, who has an interest in the arts, festivals or the community would like to be part of Festival 2013 then contact johngorman.wirralfestivaloffirsts @virginmedia.com

JOHN GORMAN

Festival director, Wirral Festival of Firsts

We saw nothing

AS AN interested viewer of Antiques Road Trip on television my interest was further aroused when I saw it was coming to Birkenhead.

You know Birkenhead? It’s where you dump submarines and ruin sea scapes with flailing arms.

It is customary to get something on camera around the area of any antique shop they visit, though I would imagine that it would be customary also to approach the local authority too and seek permission.

Well, what did I see of Birkenhead? Nothing, the camera was confined to the interior of the shop, wherever it was, and the cameraman backed out on leaving!

I saw nothing and I can only think that the area was not suitable to be viewed. Perhaps some walls suitably decorated might have brought a normal reaction to the visit?

On they went to Hoylake where the camera was allowed a quick shot of the sand, which was ruined by the display of flailing arms in the background.

NAME AND Address SUPPLIED

Heartwarming

WHAT a heartwarming story about Casey fighting back from meningitis and returning home in time to celebrate his first birthday (Wirral News, July 11).

Everyone at the Meningitis Trust sends him and parents Andrew Rimmer and Sarah Murdoch their best wishes and are pleased he is making a good recovery.

At the Meningitis Trust we have over 25 years experience of supporting families after the devastation of meningitis and are determined to ensure everyone is aware of our free, unique and professional services and community support, enabling them to move forward after the impact of the disease.

If any of your readers are worried, or know someone who is, please ask them to get in touch on our nurse-led freephone helpline on 0808 80 10 388 or visit www.meningitis-trust.org

Thanks to our support services no-one needs to suffer alone.

We also have free wallet-sized signs and symptoms cards to help people recognise the symptoms and seek prompt and appropriate medical attention. A phone app with this information can also be downloaded at www.meningitisapp.co.uk

ANDREW HOPKINSON

Meningitis Trust