Marple festival - looking good

The 2010 Marple festival kicks off in a couple of weeks.

The real coup has been securing the Hallé orchestra to perform on Sunday 12th September at Marple’s United Reformed Church with musical director Sir Mark Elder presenting and conducting. He's agreed to do it because of the support from the Peter Cunningham Memorial Fund for the Hallé, which gives money for education work.

The event has grown out of the successful food festival in Marple, including the prestigious Samuel Oldknow Pie Competition, and will have a whole load of events over a fortnight, not just a weekend. Here is some more information:

"Heritage is the theme of the first weekend. St Martin’s Church on Brabyns Brow is a gem of the Arts and Crafts Movement displaying magnificent architecture and embellishments which were designed by the masters including William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne Jones, whilst the organ was built by ‘Father’ Henry Willis, the greatest of 2 the Victorian organ builders. During the fortnight there are talks on the canals, waterways and rise of Victorian Marple, all explaining the heritage of the area.

"For a town with over 25,000 population, Marple is proud to boast its own cinema and
theatre, diverse shops, 6th form college and secondary school, and a thriving cultural sector. It offers a mix of urban and rural, nestling on the edge of the Peak District yet only 12 miles from the bright lights of Manchester.

"The Festival programme is inclusive and promises great variety, all showcasing Marple, with something for all ages. Foreign film, drama, dance, poetry and literary events will appeal to art buffs. Music and song feature strongly with jazz, pop, swing, brass, classical, symphony, opera, folk…plus choirs, barbershop and youth bands at an open air Gig in the Park.

"There is art in the park one Sunday; children’s story times; author’s workshops; comedy and talent nights; painting and photography exhibitions. Then the Festival offers a wonderful array of events for gastronomes…and drinkers – a beerfest, wine tasting, cookery demonstrations and the popular Food and Drink Day on 25th September where local shops and tradespeople display their produce.

“The objective of the Festival is to showcase Marple and bring the community together” comments Chairman David Sumner MBE. “We want residents to realise what talent there is on our doorstep, whilst also raising awareness of the town, its heritage and culture, and what it can offer to a much wider audience.”