Preparations are really getting underway in Tamworth for our free outdoor show Forging the King!
Our dancers were onsite for the first time today, starting to rehearse, and we also have an update hot off the press for our giant Mercian flag, which will be an integral element of the show, and is being made by the brilliant Debbie Murphy from Missfit Creations who is Creative Co-ordinator for the flag project.
The flag will measure an incredible 9m x 6m and will be made up of 18 sections, each measuring 1m x 3m. To make the flag, Debbie has worked with local community groups, who have each been given a 1m x 3m section (some groups have two sections) to decorate, reflecting their organisation and membership.
Debbie has begun the process of stitching all of the sections together, first making the blue background and then adding on the yellow cross.
The flag won’t just be a fantastic community effort and a beautiful addition to Forging the King, Debbie also runs a sustainable clothing company, with a zero waste policy. To make sure that the flag is as sustainable as possible, over 40m of fabric has been sourced that was otherwise heading for landfill.
Debbie has been working with community groups in the local area, bringing together a diverse range of groups with a wide range of skills to bring the project to life:
- Tamworth Wellbeing and Cancer Support Centre (sections 1 and 18 of the flag)
- Tamworth Soroptomists (section 2)
- The UpCreative Community CIC (sections 3 and 12)
- Community Together CIC (section 4)
- Cohort 4 Women (sections 5 and 14)
- Dementia Caring (section 6)
- The Mending Circle (section 7 and 16)
- Tamworth Auxilliary (section 8)
- Second Glascote Guides (section 9)
- Coton Green Womens Club (section 10)
- St Andrews Methodist Church (section 11)
- Sacred Heart Craft Group (section 13)
- The Crafty Tappers (section 15)
- Gather & Stitch (section 17)
A special mention should go to Andy Deeley of Tweedle Entertainments and 6th Tamworth Scout Group for the fabric donation which has really saved the day – and a lot of textile landfill.
The images below show parts of flag work in progress. These come from Cohort 4 Women, St Andrews Methodist Church, The Mending Circle, Second Glascote Guides and UpCreative Community.
It will take the whole of this week to stitch the whole thing together at the castle. The Great Hall in the Castle will be used to lay it out as a very big space is needed for this mammoth task
Go Debbie! We can’t wait to see the flag on Saturday at the performances 😊
