Our annual Church Eco-festival is opened this year by Alan Gardener, star of Channel 4's, 'The Autistic Gardener'. Heavily tattooed with a shocking pink haircut he's not a man easily missed in the crowd. His easy going demeanor belies the personal and health issues he grapples with every day. Alan is a fantastic ambassador for the National Autistic Society and a great believer in growing community. We're so grateful to have him on board for the Festival.
Elsewhere, the plant, eco-product and food stalls jostle merrily with the bee-man, the Friends of Sutton Park and Eco Sutton. Music is provided by a fine choir and a barbershop quartet.
It's pronounced, 'Brood' and what a lovely place it is! We had a fantastic walk in the late summer sun along the banks of the canal. It was so quiet, peaceful and timeless.
I love immersive theatre - actors mixing with the crowd, each carrying a little vignette of a much larger story. Perhaps it's because I'm a frustrated thespian at heart, but I can't resist the temptation to ham it up and join in with the action.
An early encounter with an itinerant Irish songstress sees me perform an enthusiastic medley of old Geordie folk songs loosely falling under the collective banner of 'Blue's Gaen Oot O'the Fashion. The wincing songstress provides an accompaniment on spoons to drown out the worst of my tuneless meanderings.
My performance draws a small, bemused crowd and my reward is an invitation to the next boxing bout by the gypsy encampment. The tip-off is to watch out for an illicit gin shipment.
The bout itself proves to be loud, chaotic and noisy with a variety of actors circling the ring and banging the canvas as two vested gentleman do battle under the lights. The loser is bloodied and felled, bringing the bout to a premature conclusion.
