Knowsley Online

Mozart, Miller & More Attract Hundreds for Festival Opening Weekend

 

Over 600 people came through the doors at the opening weekend of the Prescot Festival.

 

Swingshift Big Band and vocalist Chris James launched the 2016 festival in style on Friday, with an evening concert paying tribute to swing legends Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra, who would have been 100 this year.

 

Saturday began reflectively, with an afternoon of events remembering Prescot’s role in the two world wars, including a Q&A with a former prisoner of war and ‘Prescot War Memorial at 100,’ a talk by historian Stephen Nulty.

 

The day ended with a moving performance of Mozart’s celebrated Requiem, performed by a ‘come & sing’ chorus of almost 100 singers from across the region, with Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral’s James Luxton conducting. The brilliantly talented Wigan Youth Brass Band delivered a stirring second half to the concert.

 

On Sunday, Nigel Ogden of BBC Radio 2’s The Organist Entertains played to an appreciative crowd, while nearby the town council-organised Prescot Carnival attracted hundreds more visitors—not withstanding a soggy close to the afternoon—on top of the 600 already attending the festival.

 

The programme continues throughout the week before a closing weekend that begins with a Barn Dance and Hot Pot Supper on Friday night. Saturday sees LJMU scholar Elspeth Graham speak about ‘Shakespeare and Prescot,’ and an evening concert featuring Songs from the Shows with BOST, one of the North West’s best musical theatre companies.

 

The 10-day festival draws to a close with Festival Choral Evensong on Sunday, followed by a Regal Festival Finale, with South Liverpool Orchestra paying homage to Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth II. The rousing occasion ends Proms-style, with such patriotic favourites as ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory.’

 

“We’re incredibly proud to be going so strong in our twelfth year,” said Artistic Director Dr Robert Howard.

 

“The quality of skill and talent on display only seems to increase year on year, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the success of this year’s festival so far.

 

“As ever, we aim to keep arts and culture accessible and affordable, and we encourage everyone to come along and experience the joy of live music for themselves.”

 

Full details of the programme are online at www.prescotfestival.co.uk.

Pictured: Prescot Festival Chorus performing Mozart's Requiem, and Wigan Youth Brass Band during Saturday evening's "From Darkness to Light" concert (credit: Alan Humphreys)

 

12th Annual Prescot Festival of Music & the Arts - Friday 17th to Sunday 26th June 2016

 Barn Dance & Supper

Friday 24th June, 7.00pm (£7)

St Paul's Church, Bryer Road, Prescot. L35 5ND

Join in or just sit back and listen to local folk group Change of Key, celebrating the 60th anniversary of St Paul's Church.  Includes Cottom's hot pot and dessert.

 

Songs from the Shows with BOST

Saturday 25th June, 7.30pm (£6)

Prescot Methodist Centre, Atherton Street, Prescot. L34 5QN

The celebrated musical theatre company are back by popular demand with more movie, Broadway and West End favourites - plus, a few nods to Shakespeare, including classic tunes from Kiss Me Kate and West Side Story.

Regal Festival Finale with South Liverpool Orchestra

Sunday 26th June, 7.30pm (£6 - under 16s free if with an adult)

Prescot Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA

A Proms-style concert paying tribute to HM the Queen in the year of her 90th Birthday, and William Shakespeare, on the 400th anniversary of his death.  Hope University's South Liverpool Orchestra is conducted by Rob Howard with solo trumpeter Hannah Mackenzie (RNCM), and the evening ends with such patriotic favourites as Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory.

 

Team comes home with five medals

Medal haul for team Whiston who are still reeling from the Dutch masters went to the the Done Open in Doncaster for a seeding event for nationals in September and impressively came home with five medals again

Lois Jennings took silver in junior and bronze some ranking points in the bag   Coady Goodall took gold and earned full ranking points and coadys final was epic and has the whole room on their feet.

Brother and sister Dakota and Lincoln litter took silver in female cadets and bronze in male peewee

Also Harry Bellis who's fight was a real David and Goliath lost in the quarter finals Harry fought amazingly well in his new weight devision

12th Annual Prescot Festival of Music & the Arts - Friday 17th to Sunday 26th June 2016

Highlights include:

Swingshift Big Band & BBQ

Friday 17th June, 7.00pm (£8)

Prescot Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA

One of the North West's finest big bands are joined by vocalist Chris James to pay tribute to Glenn Miller and the late, great Frank Sinatra, in what would have been his 100th year.  A delicious interval BBQ is included in the ticket price.

 

From Darkness to Light

Saturday 18th June, 7.00pm (£5 - under 16s free if with an adult)

Prescot Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA

To coincide with 'Prescot Remembers', singers from across the region join the Prescot Festival Chorus for this special 'Come & Sing' performance of Mozart's Requiem.  In the rousing second half, we look to the future with the award-winning Wigan Youth Brass Band, fresh from their tour of Italy.

Nigel Ogden in Concert
Sunday 19th June, 3.00pm (£4 - under 16s free if with an adult)
Prescot Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA

Unmissable organ favourites from the star of BBC Radio 2's The Organist Entertains, in his Prescot debut.  Includes wine and nibbles.

 

Barn Dance & Supper

Friday 24th June, 7.00pm (£7)

St Paul's Church, Bryer Road, Prescot. L35 5ND

Join in or just sit back and listen to local folk group Change of Key, celebrating the 60th anniversary of St Paul's Church.  Includes Cottom's hot pot and dessert.

 

Songs from the Shows with BOST

Saturday 25th June, 7.30pm (£6)

Prescot Methodist Centre, Atherton Street, Prescot. L34 5QN

The celebrated musical theatre company are back by popular demand with more movie, Broadway and West End favourites - plus, a few nods to Shakespeare, including classic tunes from Kiss Me Kate and West Side Story.

Regal Festival Finale with South Liverpool Orchestra

Sunday 26th June, 7.30pm (£6 - under 16s free if with an adult)

Prescot Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA

A Proms-style concert paying tribute to HM the Queen in the year of her 90th Birthday, and William Shakespeare, on the 400th anniversary of his death.  Hope University's South Liverpool Orchestra is conducted by Rob Howard with solo trumpeter Hannah Mackenzie (RNCM), and the evening ends with such patriotic favourites as Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory.

 

Success in Rotterdam

Whiston Taekwondo took 5 competitors to compete in the Dutch Masters this week in Rotterdam Holland and came away with 3 trophies

 

Ethan Calland won  gold in the junior category after some very tough fights.

Lois Jennings also won  gold in the female junior category after winning with some great head shots.

Dakota Littler won Bronze in the female Cadet category  her first WTF Fight  and first international fight.

We also took Harry Bellis who was drew again European champion in the male cadet category and lost after a very close fight and our littlest fighter Lincoln Littler who is deaf lost out to an older more experienced player in the male aspirant category by just one point.

Coaches Eddie Calland and Dave Bellis are very proud of all the results

Prescot Brushes up Its Shakespeare as Festival Approaches

Prescot is coming alive with arts and culture as its 12^th annual festival approaches.

The 10-day Prescot Festival of Music & the Arts opens in mid-June, but before then there’s an array of other cultural events in the historic Lancashire town.

Saturday 4 June (10am—3pm, Church Street) sees the annual Elizabethan Fayre return, with games, stalls, live music, period drama and more in celebration of the town’s rich heritage. This year’s event has an added Shakespearean theme, in honour of the 400th anniversary of the world-famous playwright’s death.

Prescot Producers’ Market and Prescot Arts, Craft & Gift Fayre take place on the same day in the town centre.

In the evening (6.30pm, Prescot Parish Church & Woodlands), MATE Productions presents As You Like It, Shakespeare’s famous tale of romance, intrigue and hilarity. Performances are also at 2pm and 6.30pm on Sunday 5 June, and the production then tours before returning to Prescot on 30 and 31 July.