A new festival is coming to West Lindsey this year, which promises to bring people together through words, pictures, sounds and music.
WordFest, which is being staged in Market Rasen in July and Gainsborough in September, builds on the success of the Literature Village, which was held in Gainsborough’s Market Place last year.
Organised by West Lindsey District Council, WordFest is all about the area ‘finding its voice’ and promises to be a festival of storytelling, creativity, and imagination.
Towns’ Manager at West Lindsey District Council, Nicola Marshall, said the event would have something for everyone to enjoy. She said: “It’s great that we are able to build on the success of the Literature Village and expand this into something that will truly bring people together through a love of art and music.”
Both events will feature the Literature Village Market, which will once again welcome stallholders selling all things book related. There will be free entertainment for children including the splendid Storybook Emporium; Oskar with his magic accordion; poetry writing for all and storytelling in the ‘teepee’.
In Gainsborough, there will also be free horse and carriage rides from Market Place to the library. Additional attractions are still in the planning stage.
Helen Hagon, a teacher and writer based in Gainsborough, is among the artists appearing at WordFest. She said: “Last year I ran a stall at the Gainsborough Literature Market, which was a wonderful opportunity to chat with fellow lovers of the written word from the local area, and I will be doing the same again at this year’s Wordfest.
“I am also currently compiling a collection of my own poetry and am looking forward to leading a poetry-writing workshop in September for anyone interested in having a go at penning some verse of their own. No writing experience is necessary, just bring lots of enthusiasm and a love of words.”
Local musician, Graham Thorpe, another of the artists appearing, said he was looking forward to encouraging people to share their love of all the different artforms. He said: “WordFest will enable Gainsborough people to use their voice in some way – through writing, through reading, through poetry, through art and drawing, and of course music.”
Graham, and a group of fellow musicians, have written music specifically for the event and will be performing at The Old Nick Theatre.
To whet people’s appetite ahead of WordFest, there will be a creative writing workshop entitled ‘Writing is Fun’ – led by local writer Gill Blow at Gainsborough Library. The workshops will be held on six consecutive Saturdays from 20 April to 25 May, 10am to 12pm.
Tracey Jones of Garden Room Art, will also be hosting an art journalling workshop on 1 and 15 June – 10 am to 12pm.
And during the week leading up to Wordfest, there will be a fascinating history talk entitled ‘Industrious Women of the Trent’, a Lincolnshire Dialect afternoon and an evening featuring a musical soundscape. Other events include a poetry workshop and a super children’s literature event at the Trinity Arts Centre.
Chairman of West Lindsey District Council, Stephen Bunney, said he was looking forward to the festival. He said: “It’s great to be able to bring people together through music and art, and with WordFest staged at both Gainsborough and Market Rasen, it will demonstrate this perfectly. I’m delighted we have another super festival to join the line-up of events that continue to be so well supported across the district.”
Image courtesy of West Lindsey District Council
