Puppets help Shrewsbury Flaxmill creates incredible festival atmosphere

Flaxmill Creates Festival and associated workshops and events were attended by around 6,000 people over the three days at the historic building which dates from 1797.

The festival, which saw a variety of local music, art and dance acts performing, also brought two giant puppets to take part in processions.

The three-day extravaganza has been in planning for over 12 months and was the culmination of the Historic England project to restore the grandparent of skyscrapers which dates from 1797. £20.7 million of the funding was provided by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Tickets to the event were free and were allocated at the start of the year with a host of craft workshops and a run available to book onto.

Headline music acts included Sonic Boom, from Telford, Jason Allan former Shrewsbury resident and busker, and Dan Owen, from Shrewsbury.

Other music acts included a group of young musicians from The Hive. The Hive engages with a diverse range of young people, both on a drop-in basis and with referred participants from projects such as My College.

Project participants include care experienced young people, adult carers, young adults in touch with mental health services, siblings of young oncology patients, autistic young adults, young people with special educational needs, young people living in poverty and young adults living in supported housing.

The session was hosted by Gemima Gallier, a young professional musician and performer.

Andy Mills, String Quartet, DJ Freshwater and DJ Sam, The People’s Choir, The Ukele Band, Mae Dancers, Darwin Dance and Shrewsbury Morris Dancers as well as Jake Evans storyteller also performed alongside a host of other acts.

On the Friday, children from Severn Bridges Multi Academy Trust attended a crown making craft workshop at The Flaxmill Maltings and children were also invited to book onto sessions at The Hive to help craft a crown for giant mechanical puppet Farrah the Fox.

Sabrina, an 8ft high puppet representing the Goddess of the Severn, was in Shrewsbury Quarry on Saturday morning and took part in a procession around the town centre, alongside flower making workshops in the Quarry to adorn a crown.

She then moved to The Flaxmill Maltings alongside Farrah the Fox, a huge puppet on a scooter, standing at over 5m or 16ft high, as they took part in four processions round the site, supported by the Maeflower Dancers.

Farrah was commissioned by Historic England and created by London-based Emergency Exit Arts. She has become a symbol of high street renewal and community activation and formed part of a tour of eight English towns and cities last summer as part of Hi! Street Fest.

The festival was part of Historic England’s largest and final commission as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, the widest-reaching, community-led arts and heritage programme for the public that has ever been organised. Farrah the Fox added grandeur and spectacle to Flaxmill Creates and is continuing to support events such as this one, representing urban resilience and creativity.

There was also food from Digbeth Dining Club and a bar with Joules bringing along their Green Monkey Beer Bus.

To celebrate the imminent introduction of Beavers this Autumn into their new enclosure next to the Flaxmill Maltings, the event also saw the first Beaver Run take place on Sunday am as part of the Festival.

Participants were invited to walk or run 5k or 10k around the undulating route around the Beaver enclosure with the race starting and finishing at the Festival.

Simon Cranmer, Head of Visitor Experience at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, said: “This festival is the culmination of the activity plan for the whole restoration project. It marks the moment where the site has become fully integrated with the community on a cultural level and we are able to share some of its benefits at this free three-day event. We really wanted people to be able to come and fun and take part in as much or as little as they wanted surrounding the event.

“It’s incredible to see thousands of people able to come together and enjoy the incredible historic buildings here, while enjoying some brilliant local artists and acts. We are hoping this is the inaugural event and it will become an annual feature in the Shrewsbury calendar. It’s an excellent venue that we only hope grows and grows in popularity.

“I want to personally thank the team here, all the acts and those supporting them and UKAC for helping us to put on the event, which we are pleased to say ran brilliantly. We even got some sunshine!”