New Mills Festival

A selection of photos:

FUN FOR ALL

Once again, a full and exciting programme is in place for the New Mills Festival, timed to take place between Friday 12th September and Saturday 27th. There is a range of events geared to suit all ages, from tinies to grandparents. Enjoying the support of a whole raft of partners and sponsors, including local authorities, East Midlands Arts, many New Mills businesses and organisations, the Festival is able to offer outstanding opportunities to the local community at minimum cost - and for several events (including the spectacular Lantern-Light Procession) at no cost at all. It is, indeed, a fortnight of "fun for all".

THE TEENS TAKE IT AWAY

On Friday 12th September the Town Hall in New Mills will reverberate to the sound of the town's best in up-and-coming teen bands. Whether it is their first proper gig or another chance to play on the road to stardom, these bands will perform to a packed hall of young enthusiasts. The evening will be judged for the best band and the best original number by local musical celebrities.

"THE BRADSHAWS" COME TO NEW MILLS

Once the dust has settled from the Battle of the Bands night, the stage will be reset for a different style of entertainment. On Saturday 13th an evening of hilarity is promised as Radio's Buzz Hawkins brings his
comic Lancashire family "The Bradshaws" to an adult audience. Buzz's versatile mimicry is blended with funny and folksy song; the evening also features songs from Eliza P.

FAMILY FILMSHOWS

Following on from last year's successful innovation, Community Festival 2003 is again including two big screen filmshows. Provided by Reels on Wheels - who are licensed to show titles still on cinema release - the programme will include an early evening screening of "Rugrats Go Wild" (PG) on Monday 22nd September in St George's School hall and a later screening of "Nicholas Nickleby" (PG) on Wed 17th September in the Library Lecture Room.

FROM CIRCUS SKILLS TO FIRE SCULPTURES

For smaller children, an hour's programme by "Circus Sensible" who will perform in the hall of New Mills Primary School on Monday 15th September may be their special event.
The well-established sequence of lantern-making classes suitable for families with children of eight years and above and singles who want to join in the fun will once again be scheduled throughout the Festival fortnight (this year located in Sett Valley House). Judging by the intricate lanterns on parade last year, there should be no shortage of expert help to encourage absolute beginners who may want to try their hand at this satisfying craft. All materials are provided free.

If making and doing are anyone's real passion, then they may well wish to consider taking part in the sessions to create fire sculptures for the final Saturday night's procession. Built on metal formers, the sculptures take imaginative shapes and are set alight ready for the hundreds of people to admire as they wend their way by lantern light through the Torrs. Details of whom to contact for fire-sculpture making are in the published programme - as are times, costs and venues of all the fortnight's events.

EVENTS FOR ALL TASTES
"Potatoes and Poetry" at Ali's Café, "Wind and Words" with the Force Five Wind Quintet (and poet Jim Dening), the launch of "A Mixed Harvest" (a new book all about New Mills), the sell-out "Comedy Night" at Chalkers, a round trip to Edale on "The Folk Train", an evening of "Grand Passions" at New Mills Library (readings from favourite books!), two bands playing on 'the Prom' on Saturday mornings, an evening with Fiona Castle (remember Roy Castle and Record Breakers?), a conducted walk around the town's "Bridges Trail" with local expert Derek Brumhead, a chance to let it all hang out with "White Van Man" - all these and more are included in Community Festival 2003.

NEW MILLS' HIDDEN GEM
Saturday 13th September is a special day for St James' Church on Spring Bank. Under the National Heritage Day initiative, it will be open and stewarded all day, with exhibitions about its Victorian heritage. Many New Mills residents have never set foot in this "hidden gem" and this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity. With refreshments available at the Church, or, for those who prefer a stroll, a few yards further down Spring Bank where the garden of 'The Grange' is again open for afternoon teas, what could make a more pleasant Saturday outing? For anyone already pre-booked, there will be further opportunities to see inside St James on the Sunday (14th) for the Force Five concert or in the evening for "Songs of Praise" with New Mills United Coop Band.

CELEBRATION
Performing a focal role in this year's programme is the town's Parish Church of St George, on Church Lane. Although this takes place well before Festival fortnight, there is a concert on Saturday 6th September when Radio 2's Mr Music, Nigel Ogden, will perform a broad repertoire with something for everyone on the recently renovated pipe organ. This will be the official re-commissioning of the instrument, which has just undergone an extensive (and expensive!) half century overhaul.
Then on Sunday 21st a service at 9.30 am will be a special celebration of two festivals - the Harvest Festival together with New Mills Community Festival 2003 - and an address by the Bishop of Derby himself. This celebration is open to everyone, as are places for the harvest lunch that follows which can be reserved in advance.

THE BABBLING VAGABONDS
One of the highlights of this year's Festival is sure to be the involvement of The Babbling Vagabonds storytelling theatre company. Fresh from a busy summer working with The National Trust, this group (whose base is in Bakewell) will be leading workshops by day in local schools and in the evenings in the Community Education Centre on Spring Bank. They are expert at creating giant walkabout puppets and devising shadow plays; everyone will be encouraged to join in the work which will be based on themes from the town's own heritage. Hopefully these will result in some extra "magic" to lend to the final Saturday night's procession.

WE CAPTURE THE TOWN
For anyone of any age who has an eye for a picture, there will be a visual arts event running throughout the Festival fortnight when they will have the opportunity to show how they visualise New Mills in paint, pencil, photograph, sculpture, or video. This is not a competition - it is an opportunity to have work put on display in the Heritage Centre, the Library, the Community Education Centre, shop windows, wherever it can be made public. All properly submitted entries will feature. There are no age groups or categories involved. The subject is New Mills..

A COME-TOGETHER CEILIDH
By popular request, "High Jinks" from Marple have been booked to lead another evening of energetic dancing at the end of the Festival. This year the Ceilidh will take place on the last Friday evening in the Town Hall. It is anticipated that it will be a packed event when folk will come along to share with each other and have a final fling.

LANTERNS IN THE TORRS

New Mills Community Festival could not come to a close without the now widely-celebrated Lantern-Light Procession. From its inauguration in 2000 to mark the opening of the Millennium Walkway, the Procession has rapidly entered into the town's folk lore. 'Outsiders' who have heard anything at all about the Festival are sure to mention the lantern procession. Starting from Mousley Bottom below Central Station at 7.00 pm it will wend its way through the dramatically fire-lit Torrs and up by the Rock Tavern to Wirksmore Road Recreation Ground. A flourish of fireworks will mark the end of two weeks of fun for all.

PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE
The Festival organisers have arranged for programmes to be delivered throughout the community. Most events are bookable in advance at "Bookstop" on Market Street, where spare programmes will be available to be picked up; the Library and The Heritage Centre will also have extra programmes. None of this would be remotely possible without the support of numerous sponsors and advertisers, who feature on the published programme.