Voices in the Forest

3rd day: Sat 23 June, Beechenhurst

Voices in the Forest – Exciting Minds

All the photographs on this page were taken by the Young Photographers working with Cinderford Artspace based at the Mercury Project. Contact 01594 825111 for details.

There was plenty to see and do, experiencing the exciting minds that live, work and play in the Forest. Highlights included: The Exciting Minds Expo, The Auditorium, Cabaret Club, Lightening Tree, Band Stand, the launch of Sheepscape, Forest Food Producers Market and Forest skills. People came dressed for the weather in wellies and brollies out in force. The weather just scuppered the Found in the Forest performance which had to be abandoned due to one of many deluges on the day…..Being the same weekend as Glastonbury, there was a true festival spirit about the day with thousands of people enjoying the day in the mud and rain!

The Hub – a striking temporary visitor attraction at the centre of the festival at Beechenhurst, focused on the stories of the creative and entrepreneurial minds in the Forest of Dean. Interactive and multi-media, this was a chance to find out about the ground-breaking developments that have happened here, and how a new generation of creative thinkers are ensuring the Forest is still at the forefront of innovation. Click on the post for more info

The Auditorium – talks from Doug McClean of The Forest Bookshop on Forest writers past and present; Edna Healey writer, broadcaster, Forester (and wife of ex-UK Chancellor Dennis Healey); and Andrew Taylor, award winning local crime author. Music jouranlist Owen Adams talked about the incredible life of Newent-born music producer Joe Meek, and his massive influence on the development of pop music. And to round off the day, a tribute to one of the Forest’s greatest ever exciting minds, Dennis Potter, with a screening of Blue Remembered Hills.

   Lady Edna Healey         Andrew Taylor       

Rural & Forest Skills – freeminers, quarrymen, drystone wallers, wagon makers, commoners and more, demonstrated their skills. It was fantastic to see how these skills are allive, flourishing and increasingly relevant today in the Forest of Dean and beyond. As well as seeing craftsmen at work, there was a chance to crawl inside a freemine and see the closely fought ‘largest lump of coal’ competition between the three local working mines…

Found in the Forest Youth Theatre – had hoped to present Stories of the Forest and take their audience on a journey that intertwines myths and legends, history and imagination. An exploration of the Forest and the characters that may exist in its depths. Rained off, there wasn’t the chance to join in a walk, a story, or …….The performance was originally created with the support of the Local Heritage Initiative. let’s hope there is another opportunity to see this performance in the near future

Food Market – the best of local food producers provided a feast for all the senses with their amazing range of food and drink on offer. Visitors relished their local lunch or bought their own ‘take away’ from Forest of Dean farmers, cooks and specialist local food retailers. Delicious!

Cabaret Club – an afternoon of variety from the very best of local bands and performers with your host Roger Drury.

The launch of Sheepscape – the Forest’s first flock of fibreglass – and virtual – sheep caused a stir all day with everyone marvelling at the amazing variety of ideas on show. Special guest, Edna Healey, officially opened the event with Project Director, Ed O’Driscoll

Want to know what you missed? Here’s the day’s TIMETABLE

The Hub

Quarter to the hour – Whitecross Young Journalists’ ‘Review of The Review’ Half past the hour (not 12.30pm) – Join in Jared’s ‘Sensory Science’ sessions

12 noon – Parkend pupils perform ‘Mary Rose’ dance

All day

* Join in with Woolaston School’s food games exploring Forest Food Producers Group.
* Help Heywood pupils track down ex-pupils for their ‘Heywood Heros’ project
* Parkend School pupils present Mary Rose Young and work on their own creations, inspired by working with Mary Rose
* Forest of Dean Timeline of Exciting Minds through history and a chance to find out more
* Remarkable People Pole – Featuring local ‘Exciting Minds Expo’, as featured in The Forester

Hub Hotseat and Film Screenings (See baords for full listing on the day)

Throughout the day Clearwell Primary School screen their interviews with Clearwell Caves’ Exciting Minds, plus their own film created with Paul Burke of Senseon

12.30pm Q & A Jared from Lakers School talks to Courtney Morse from Glaxo Smithkline

1.30pm Christine Baxter, sculptor, tells us more about herself and her work

3pm Rachel Thomas profiles the exciting Forest Food Producers Group and their new ventures

3.30pm Local young filmmakers, ForestFwd, describe themselves through film

The Auditorium

11:30 Writing in the Forest: Local publisher Doug McLean explores Forest writers, and writers in the Forest, past & present, from the obscure to the famous.

12:15 Film: Exciting Minds

12:25 Film: So Many Trees

12:30 The Legendary Joe Meek: Local music journalist Owen Adams assesses the impact of the Forest-born producer on modern popular music.

1:15 Film: documentary

1:35 Film: tbc

1:45 Andrew Taylor: The award winning Forest-based crime novelist discusses his work, and the recent adaptation of Fallen Angel to television with Doug McLean.

2:45 The Forest Bard 2007: Award to this years winning dialect poet. Presented by Lady Edna Healey.

3:00 Lady Edna Healey

3:45 Q&A Panel: Andrew Taylor and Keith Morgan join Edna Healey and Doug McLean to discuss with the audience Forest writers, poets, books, artists, history…

4:15 Blue Remembered Hills: Screening of one of Dennis Potter’s most highly acclaimed television dramas. Set in the Forest of Dean.

The Bandstand

12:00 Drybrook & District Ladies Choir

12:30 Bream Silver Band

1:45 Lydmey Lydney Band

2:30 A Forest Symphony: Premiere of new music written by successful local composer Gavin Higgins, and performed by Lydbrook Silver Band. Commissioned for the festival by Voices in the Forest and Creative Partnerships Forest of Dean.

3:00 Parkend Band

3:30 Berry Hill Band

4:00 Forest Brass

Events & BBQ Area

2:00 Drama: Stories of the Forest. Interactive performance written and enacted by the Found in the Forest Youth Theatre.

The Lightning Tree

12:00 Speakers

1:00 Launch of Sheepscape: Art meets sheep…ewe will be amazed

1:15 Speakers

The Cabaret Club

Start 11-30 am Eddie Parker fits us in before he plays Brecon Jazz festival next month in a special gig with St Briavels School.

12-15 Eric Espinoza’s Clown ‘Schol’ returning from a tour of Outer Coleford to offer invention and a thousand jugglers…

1-30 Newent Choir- a band of voices offering a programme from all directions of music…

2-30The Dots- formed last summer after a week at Noxon Farm and a gig that premiered ten new quirky lyrical songs followed by Christmas run in Stroud ‘Space’.

3-15 World Music special Adam Dougherty offers mid afternoon chill with a hypnotic set on the west african Kora

4pm Poets standing stanza to stanza…Open Mike…

4-30 Great Finale set from ‘Mushroom Jazz’ strong original three piece band including Olly ThorntonThe Hub