Get ready for the Westbury Festival!

WESTBURY’S fortnight-long arts and culture festival is kicking off this month and with over 40 various events going on throughout the town, organisers say there is something for everyone.

The festival, taking place from 24th September to 8th October, will open again this year with the hugely popular Wiltshire Chilli Fest. There will also be talks by a variety of different TV personalities such as adventurer and film-maker Alex Bescoby; Julian Richards from Meet the Ancestors and Marc Allum from BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, as well as history walk looking at some of the lost pubs of Westbury, plenty of different lunchtime concerts and even a superhero themed Wiltshire Scrapstore event.

Ian Cunningham, one of the organisers, said, “We have another packed festival with loads of events, many of them free and all celebrating the community of Westbury. People put much effort into this festival to make the town a more vibrant place and we are grateful for the support of the town. We look forward to seeing you at some of the events!

“We are very excited that Alex Bescoby TV historian and adventurer is coming to talk us about the recreation of the 1955 Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition travelling the 19,000 miles from Singapore to London. The original epic journey was filmed a by young David Attenborough and the story is described in the never out of print book The First Overland.

“In a recent tribute to the adventurer Sir David remarked that he was certain that the journey ‘could not be made again today.’ And on hearing that, 87 Tim Slessor who was an original member of the group wondered… And in 2019, with the 64-year-old Land Rover – Alex will explain more.

“Alex’s film and book “The Last Overland” follows this madcap journey. The documentary will be appearing on television this winter but you can get an early chance to listen on the 1st of October Saturday at the Laverton.

“Also visiting us from ‘TV-land’ is the much-loved TV archaeologist, Julian Richards who has appeared in programmes such as Meet the Ancestors and who is also, in his won words, a Stonehenge obsessive and will be giving a talk entitled A Career in Ruins on his 50 years’ experience as an archaeologist.

“Julian will also be giving some hands on experience of archaeology to some local school children during the day.

Marc Allum from Antiques Roadshow

“We are also joined by another familiar TV face, Marc Allum, a regular expert on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow who will help you identify your antiques on the 29th of September.

“History related topics also include: a history walk with Westbury Heritage Society chair, Sally Hendry looking at Westbury’s lost pubs:  a fascinating talk about Jewish Dutch refugees and special relationship between the city of Bath and the city of Alkmaar (Sat 24th Sept); and a talk by Mathew Harffy, writer of the Wolf of Wessex, who will discuss how go about mixing history and fiction (Sat 8th Oct).; and we also have Dave Crisp who is famous in the world of metal detecting for uncovering the Frome Hoard to tell you about this fascinating hobby and how you can get into it on the 27th of September.

Free lunchtime concerts

“As usual we will have our series of free lunchtime concerts in All Saints Church Westbury (1:00pm), no need to book just turn up where church will be offering tea and cakes with a wide variety of music on offer each weekday for two weeks during festival.

“In a new departure we’re going to try running a cinema on weekday afternoons for the two festival weeks at the Laverton. The films are free the odd thing is that, under the terms of our licence, we can’t actually tell you what the film will be – but they will all be British classics selected by the festival’s resident film director and film buff and they will crackers, suitable for all ages.

“Of course it wouldn’t be a Westbury Festival with some longer musical event sin the evenings. This year we are delighted to offer a concert by Bratton Silver Band in Holy Trinity Church, Dilton Marsh  which will include the band’s first full performance of a piece written especially composed for them and with huge local significance The lost village of Imber.

“Dilton Marsh Arts Trust have also persuaded renowned guitarist  John Mills to play with his trio Serenata (John, Cobie Smit and Wendy Partridge) at Dilton Memorial Hall on 2nd of October.

“Local hero, Radek Evans is known to many in the town for his good works but he is also something of a music festival junkie and he has scoured local events to put together his Radek-al Riot – a mixed bag of great sounds at the Laverton on 30th September while the Hollies in Westbury Leigh will be supporting the festival yet again with Brakelight on Friday 2nd of October.

Have a go!

“We also have some ‘have a go’ opportunities including making Christmas candle sticks at the White Horse Pottery or joining in with Westbury Choral to learn some songs and then perform the same day and children can join with the Wiltshire Scrapstore in a super hero themed event supported by real life superheroes and a ‘sing-along’ ice Princess.

Exhibitions on offer include a the work of Suzie Beauvoisin  at Church View (in Westbury churchyard – 17th-24th September), beautiful quilts by the Westbury Quilters on the 1st and the fascinating results of research by Westbury Area Family History Group, Westbury Heritage Society and Dilton Marsh Local History Society into the history of Charles Case and Sons’ Tannery and its workers which will be at Dilton Marsh Memorial Hall on 1st of October.

“The festival closes with two events: a Songs of Praise in All Saints Church Westbury at 6:00pm on Sunday the 8th and a fantastic finale show with musicians from around the world and the amazing Great Baldini organised by another local hero, musician Leander Morales

“Many events are free and for those which are not, you can get tickets on-line from www.westburyfestival.org or in person at South West Hearing Care (9 to 5 Mon-Fri) who have generously offered to be the festival box office and who you can find in Westbury High Street, (next to the rotunda) or from our pop-up box office which will be at the Westbury Museum (in the library) on Saturday mornings.”