IN CELEBRATION OF PEACE
In Celebration of Peace, 1914 - 2014
reative artists from across North
Staffordshire and beyond will be marking the
100th anniversary of the Great War with a
weekend of events aimed at celebrating
peace and reconciliation as a better option
than aggression.
Singers, songwriters, musicians,
artists, writers, poets and performance
readers will take part in ‘1914-2014 – In
Celebration of Peace’ at Leek’s Foxlowe
Arts Centre over the weekend of 5th April
and 6th April.
Saturday 5th April will be a day of music with
singarounds and a harmony singing workshop in
the afternoon led by former Mikron theatre
director Janet Russell and an evening concert
headlined by Janet who has worked professionally
on the folk scene for more than 30 years.
Janet will be supported by local
artists including The Bird
Scarers, Rick Ford, Pete
Shirley and Herbs and
Leekies.
Sunday afternoon will
be devoted to the spoken
word with readings from
Roger Elkin, Pamela
Brough Sandiford and
Phil Edmeades, a Meet
the Readers and Writers
session, plus films from
local and national archives.
The evening concert will
commence with readings and
performances by local poets and
writers, The Packhorse Poets,
Borderland Voices and Leek Writers. That will
be followed by the premiere of - ‘Journeys - scenes
in songs, images and film' – Rick Ford’s new show
featuring his own songs performed live with a
backdrop of images, archive footage and newsreel,
produced in collaboration with renowned
documentary film maker Prof. Ray Johnson.
Jointly organised by Leek Quakers, Foxlowe
Arts Centre, Foxlowe Sessions, Peace Through
Folk and the British Legion, the weekend is
intended to celebrate and promote peace,
reconciliation and goodwill.
Event coordinator Peter Kent-Baguley said: “In
the salad days of spring 1914 the wealthy and
powerful of the western world were enjoying t