Marlborough Puppetry Festival 8th 9th July

I expect many of you reading this will already know about or be involved with, the Marlborough Puppetry Festival which marks the 70th Anniversary of Pelham Puppets.There will be masses of fun events and shows to get involved with and exhibitions, it really is an event not to be missed.Here is the description of the event given on the Festivalfacebookpage.MARLBOROUGH PUPPETRY FESTIVALmarks the 70th Anniversary of Pelham Puppets and will celebrate the life, work and legacy of Bob Pelham (1919-1980) who established his world-famous toy manufacturing business in Marlborough Wiltshire.The festival is a celebration of British Puppetry too and on the weekend of July 8th and 9th we will open with a huge parade, “The March of the marionettes” leadingvisitors to the main venues the Town Hall and the Priory Gardens right in the heart of Town.The programme includes many free shows, presented mainly by members of the GuildIn the Town Hall there will be performances by Ian Thom, Noisy Oyster, Lori Hopkins and young ventriloquist Max Fulham. There will also be a stage musical, depicting the story of Pelham Puppets performed by young people from the Marlborough Academy of Dance & Drama.Outdoor shows in the Priory Gardens will include Punch & Judy by Prof Joseph Peek and Jamie Riding and performances by the Guild Chairman, Peter Charlton. In addition to the shows, there will also be many other activities arranged by local community groups throughout the weekend.An Exhibition in the Merchant’s House (situated in the High Street and housing Marlborough’s newly opened Museum,) featuring very early Pelham Puppets and puppets from the Hogarth Collection and the National Puppetry Archive during the month of June. (Opening date to be confirmed.)Also in the Town Hall you will find the “Bob Pelham World of Puppets Exhibition” featuring hundreds of Pelham Puppets beautifully set in scenes and a huge ‘timeline’ display of puppets produced during the life of the factory. There will be Pelham Puppet Shows and demonstrations and plenty of opportunities for audiences to try their hand and ‘have a go’ at being a puppeteer.The festival has the full backing of Marlborough Town Council and the Marlborough History Society. The Festival Director is David Leech and the event is produced in partnership with the Guild and with the help of a Local Event Management Team of volunteers.We hope everyone lucky enough to attend the festivities has lots of fun!www.britishpuppetguild.org.uk/index.php/2017/01/20/marlborough-puppetry-festival/