Beaminster festival features plenty for all

By [nbrown]

A TELEVISION celebrity invited to open the 14th Beaminster Festival was nearly upstaged by a trio of llamas.

Antiques Roadshow expert Paul Atterbury, who lives at nearby Eype, did the honours by formally declaring the event open on Saturday, but visitors and local people were also fascinated by the animals brought along by Jo Harwood and Chris Eke of UK Llamas at Mosterton. Nine-year-old Kuzco, a former Disney star, and Spirit, who can be found carrying a tray of champagne at wedding receptions, were present with year-old Arthur, experiencing for the first time a bustling public event.

"We want to acclimatise him to the music and noise, and he's doing very well," Ms Harwood told festival-goers. "But the weather is really quite hot for them, so we won't be able to stay too long."

Festival director Tanya Bruce-Lockhart paid tribute to local group DT8 for organising the music, which included street dancers Pure Punk who gave a lively and accomplished display.

The festival atmosphere was enhanced by the tri-pole display of flags flying in the square, created by retired engineers Gil Streets and Murray Rose, the festival chairman, and there were market stalls selling local produce.

Mrs Bruce-Lockhart said: "This is our own home-grown Glastonbury and we try to ensure the official opening is whole-community event, for which we fund raise during the year so that it can be free for everyone. It is very important that it is inclusive and there is something for everyone."

Lunch tables were sold out at the new Wild Garlic restaurant, opened last week in the former Black Cat Bistro by BBC Masterchef winner Mat Follas, who lives in Rampisham.

He said: "I've been incredibly lucky in attracting a lot of interest and coverage in the build up to launch, thanks to the Masterchef win.

"For our opening we had 350 people drop in, and we're benefiting from an enormous amount of goodwill from our customers, who are genuinely excited by the restaurant.

"We didn't try to make the opening a 'celebrity' occasion. We wanted it to be a local affair about a new restaurant in West Dorset because, let's face it, if the locals don't come, we're sunk."

Festival outside events organiser Maggie Warnett, who compered from the stage in The Square, said: "We're very excited to have him here and hope everyone will support his new venture."

She also introducing the jazz band led by Beaminster School teacher Nick Wardle and local singer-songwriter Pete Quin, as well as Beaminster School Taste Drama club, led by Valerie Goodwin, who had researched and devised scenes from the life and works of Thomas Hardy, including excerpts from Tess Of The D'Urbevilles, Far From The Madding Crowd and The Mayor Of Casterbridge. Scenes were performed in Beaminster Studio last Tuesday and Beaminster Public Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Winners and runners-up in a children's fancy-dress competition were 20-month-old Spencer Bugler as a bee and Gracie Hewitson, aged three months, as a mermaid in the youngest class; Louis Wakeley, four, as a Mexican and Hannah Farley, five, as a leopard in the middle group; and Bethany David, eight, as a princess and Rowan O'Reilly as a king.

The doors of the youth and community centre will be open on Saturday 11am-2pm, for visitors to see the refurbished premises and festival exhibition, The Journey Of A Story. In the evening, 12-piece DT8 led dancing in The Square, and on Sunday, the festival service at St Mary's Church was conducted by the Rector, the Rev Ken Masters, with guest speaker the Very Rev David Shearlock, Dean Emeritus of Truro Cathedral and Beaminster resident.

The festival, which began on 21 June, has featured drama productions, concerts, a literary supper, talks, a photographic exhibition, music, dance and poetry. It continues today with a talk on Samuel Johnson, a piano recital by John Lill, a choral concert featuring Parnham Voices, and jazz with the Julie Dunn Trio. Tomorrow, Michael Bernstein and Colin Stevens pay tribute to Flanders and Swann, Anne Chisholm discusses diarist Frances Partridge, Moviola screens Carmen, and the Armonico Consort and Choir sing the Monteverdi Vespers.

The singers of Village Harmony present a celebration of music from around the world on Saturday lunchtime, followed in the evening by the Pasadena Roof Orchestra in Swing Time!

The Festival Family Finale on the Memorial Playing Fields on Sunday features dog agility displays, morris dancers, alpacas and Phoenix Brass from Crewkerne, together with a parade of historic cars and the annual Dorset Town Criers Competi- tion.

The final Sunday evening concert, hosted by festival president and founder Ronald Emett, features Bath Philharmonia. For details, call 01308 862943 or visit www.beamfest.org.uk