Wokingham

It’s hot, hot, hot! That was the message from the Wokingham Discover Culture festival event in Wokingham on Saturday (July 15) when the town centre, town hall and library were filled with arts, crafts, dance and music and hundreds of visitors enjoyed the festivities!

Discover Culture is a continuing programme of cultural events produced and supported by Wokingham District Council through the Wokingham District Cultural Partnership. Launched last month (June), the festivities started in the district’s schools some months ago and continued with the unveiling of the Arena for the Arts exhibition in June and an open-air festival in Woodley town centre on July 8.

Highlights of the Wokingham event included Italia Conti dancers, Berkshire Maestro electric string quartet and singers from the Cloudglider group who entertained the crowds with jazz and reggae numbers. And, the ‘Blue Jam’ jazz quartet from Maiden Erlegh School played a rousing set whilst the crowds also enjoyed the beats of Pan Everest Steel Pans Band and West African drummers. The Indian Community Centre also put on a fine Bharat Natyan dance display before streetdancers from Silverdale Youth Centre took to the stage.

Wokingham District Council’s vice-chairman Cllr Annette Drake said: “This unique festival was a huge success and I was delighted to see so many people come along and enjoy the festivities which showcased the very best of culture in our district. The council, along with its partners, have worked hard to build and develop the festival over the last year and hope that it will continue to be an annual event that will go from strength-to-strength on the council’s cultural calendar.”

A whole host of workshops saw young and old testing their artistic skills by drawing portraits, trying out yoga, enjoying Indian head massages, making puppets and learning more about photography. They also helped the Millennium Volunteers create a mural. The district council’s community wardens had an information display and they were joined by St John Ambulance, Bracknell and Wokingham College, the Arts Forum and Berkshire Costume Service.

The Arena for the Arts exhibition will be on show throughout the summer in partnership with Churches Together in Wokingham, at St Paul’s Church in Wokingham from July 24 until August 18. The artwork also forms part of a ‘Trail of Belief’ around churches in the Wokingham district during THE BIG IDEA week in August (20-27).

A whole host of activities is planned for the year and full details can be found at: http://discoverculture.wokingham.gov.uk

Wokingham District Council