Wokingham

Woodley town centre came alive on Saturday (July 8) when crowds of people were entertained by the fabulous, fantastic and free Discover Culture festival.

Discover Culture is produced by Wokingham District Council and is sponsored by the Wokingham District Cultural Partnership. The daylong spectacular involved lots of fun, with dancing and singing, and also saw lots of people taking part in arts and crafts workshops. The highlights of the day included Senegalese drummers Bucarr, Gamelan drummers and the Silverdale Youth Club’s street dancers.

Pupils from the Piggott, Waingels and Maiden Erlegh schools also worked together on a fusion dance display whilst the crowds also enjoyed the beats of steel and jazz bands.

Wokingham District Council’s chairman Cllr Angus Ross said: “Now in its second year, this successful event encompasses the whole community and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Woodley town centre came alive with so many professional and amateur performers, some even as young as five were taking part and entertaining the crowds. It was good to see many of the district’s schools taking part in the festivities along with many young people from the district’s youth centres.

“The festival brought together local artists, performers and schools to celebrate, demonstrate and promote the value of arts and culture in our district. It certainly was a festival to remember!”

A whole host of workshops saw young and old alike learning circus skills, trying out henna hand painting, enjoying Indian head massages and learning more about photography. The district council’s community wardens also had an information display and they were joined by St John Ambulance, Bracknell and Wokingham College, the Arts Forum and Berkshire Costume Service.

Discover Culture festival 2006 has also seen taster workshops in local libraries this week (July 8 to 15). And, the festivities will close with a festival in Wokingham town centre on Saturday July 15 between 10am and 4pm when everyone is welcome to get with the rhythm of world music and join in a whole host of creative workshops. On stage will be dancers from Italia Conti and Cloudglider Singers will be performing a range of jazz, pop and reggae numbers. The Berkshire Maestros, an electric string quartet, will also play classical and pop music. The sizzling samba rhythms of Maiden Erlegh School will bring Wokingham town centre alive with the sound of the Brazilian-style street-music.

Wokingham Cllr Ross added: “And if you enjoyed the festivities in Woodley, why not come along to a similar event being held this coming Saturday in Wokingham? There is a host of entertainment planned to suit all ages and there will be something for everyone to enjoy. We hope that the Discover Culture festival will be as popular in Wokingham as it was in Woodley. They are important events on the council's calendar and this year there is a fantastic programme for all ages!”

There will also be puppet shows, wax art techniques workshops and face painting. Local residents can also browse at the many information stands.

As part of the district council’s on-going commitment to Discover Culture, the festivities started in the district’s schools some months ago and the year-long programme of cultural events was launched last month with the unveiling of the Arena for the Arts exhibition. 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