Wirral’s first Festival of Firsts is ready to go

Jun 29 2011 by Matt Hurst, Birkenhead News

WIRRAL’S inaugural Festival of Firsts is gearing up as 70 poets and more than 100 artists line up to inspire and entertain over the weekend of July 9.

Hoylake will be transformed into a hotbed of culture as bars open up to bands, the promenade becomes a huge open air art gallery and poets perform at locations around the town.

Festival of Firsts spokesperson, Steve Taylor said: “There’s such a rich tapestry of talent out here and it’s about demonstrating that to the peninsula, but it’s also about showcasing it to the rest of the country.

“This plan was never about doing something as a one off.

“It’s something we want to do every year, to build something that people come to, not just from Wirral but from further afield.”

First reported by the News in January, the Festival of Firsts is the brainchild of former Scaffold member, John Gorman.

John said at the time that he wanted to “encourage people to be creative and give them the opportunity to express that creativity” and he soon set about recruiting and organising volunteers to see his vision brought to fruition.

The team he established succeeded in winning grants from the coastal regeneration fund and from lottery coffers, to help promote the event.

Steve Taylor, 34 said: “We have a lot of people working very hard, we’re very lucky.

“The people on the executive committee, like Stirling Dutton have taken it on almost full time, and Caroline England has put a lot of time in.

“We want to make it one of the most vibrant events going.”

Among the highlights is the premier of John Gorman’s play, Lena at St Luke’s Church on Friday July 8, featuring Wirral Grammar School students, Sarah Easdown and Becky Smith in the lead role.

John said: “When living in France, I was sent an audio tape of Gorecki’s Third Symphony, which, if anybody has heard it will understand, I played to destruction.

“When I returned to England, I bought a long-lasting CD of the Third Symphony, which boasted sleeve notes.