From the 2004 website:
A selection of photos:
Day at the Races
Dressage Dressup
Horse Show
Pantomime Horse Race & Dressage
Lantern Procession
2004's Festival theme was “The
Cotton Route” .
Festival Preparations
As September approaches, final touches are being put
to the programme for New Mills Community Festival 2004. Once again,
a fortnight packed with events for all ages and interests has been planned.
Events take place at venues across the town, culminating in the hugely
popular Lantern Procession through The Torrs gorge. Many events are
free. Where an entrance cost is necessitated, it is kept as low as possible,
thanks to several generous sponsors and supporters of the Festival.For
the Community, by the CommunityNew Mills Festival does not set out to
present a “high-brow” or “arty” line-up. It
is inclusive both in the range and accessibility of its events and in
the way in which it is organised. As well as the central core Lantern
Procession through Torrs
of events promoted by the organising committee, no less than sixteen
other town organisations are involved in staging events under the “umbrella”
of the Festival. These range from a day of sporting competitions put
on by the Bowls, Cricket and Tennis Club to a music, song and dance
spectacular mounted by the New Mills Operatic and Dramatic Society.
Churches, the Local History Society, Pubs and New Mills Library all
have events in the programme designed to appeal to differing interests
and age groups.Making, doing, listening, laughingFor those who wish
to be creative, there are a series of lantern-making workshops throughout
the fortnight or for potential pyromaniacs, two weekends of workshops
constructing fire-sculptures, all for the Grand Procession. An evening
making cards with Anna (no drawing skills required) might be more to
other people’s liking! Some folk prefer to sit back and be entertained:
perhaps at the Bavarian Bierkeller night (adults only), at the Revival
Church’s multi-media musical “Wisdom Calls”, at the
midday oboe recital, at the evening concert given by a quartet of professional
‘cellists or by just stopping to listen to Thornsett Band in a
break from Saturday’s shopping. If laughter is the best medecine,
then perhaps the comedy evening at Chalkers or the performance of “Shirley
Valentine” by Lancashire’s own Joanna Lavelle will work
better than a dose of salts!
All ages all tastesFor children there is a Big Screen showing of “Shrek
2” and a chance to delve into Billy Diamond’s Box of Magic.
Under 8s will be queuing for places at the Story Sacks Party being held
in New Mills Library. Or at the other end of the terrible teens, strictly
over 18s are invited to an evening of “Dirty Dance and Disco Beats”.
Throughout the Festival fortnight, Buxton artist Andrew Robinson will
be leading workshops for children in all the towns schools, creating
light and shadow work on the theme of “The Cotton Route”
ready for a scintillating display at the end of the Lantern Procession.The
Torrs thirty years on As if the Festival is not in itself a big enough
celebration, this year marks thirty years since The Torrs were turned
into the park under the town. Tracing the history of this significant
development, Dr Derek Brumhead MBE will be speaking at an evening hosted
by New Mills Town Council; there will be wine and cheese and the evening
is one of the free entry events in the Festival programme.
And so much moreFrom a Fun Run to Poetry and Potato evenings, from Songs
of Praise to an evening with the north-west’s leading young Folk
duo, from a guided Flora and Fauna Walk to Bible Storytellers from Glossop,
from an intriguing African anthropological-mystery talk to the disintegrating
structures of Barton Bridges (ask at the Local History Society for an
explanation!), from a pub quiz to a Harvest Festival, it’s all
there in the New Mills Community Festival programme. And for those with
any energy left at the end of the two weeks, there is a chance to dance
the night away to Gene Therapy and the Chromosomes!InformationThe full
programme is delivered to all households in New Mills. It is available
from Bookstop on Market Street, from New Mills Library on Hall Street
and from many of the shops in the town. Several of the events are bookable
in advance; some of them are limited by the number of places available
and advance booking is advisable. All details are in the programme.
Large print copies of the programme are available from the Library.
