KidsFest14 in St George's park yesterday will be a day to remember for all of us at FoSGP and hopefully for all the children, adults and families that came to the event too. The weather was very kind to us, the rain held off until after the close of the event cooling off the volunteers who helped to take down Kazzum's marquee in record time. Never before they told us, had they been able to pack up after a show in less than 2 hours, we took an hour and ten minutes - so well done to all involved, group cohesion in action.
In some ways the downpour was very good news after the storm that struck our St George's Day event back in April and ended it so abruptly. Firstly, it was really good because it waited until the festival was over and secondly because it watered Let's Eat the Park and all the other parts of the inner Kidderminster wildlife corridor that starts at St George's Park and spreads up through St George's churchyard and into Baxter Gardens Park, in a green swathe northeast from the town centre .
During the 4 hour KidsFest that was organised and funded through bids made entirely by Friends of St George's Park, on a return visit the ever popular Museum on the Move had 94 visitors and St George's Church ran out of craft materials due to the great popularity of their plant holder making/planting activities and their wonderful labyrinth which attracted a lot of attention from people of all ages.
Some of the reflections recorded by walkers of the labyrinth show the depth of engagement there was at the event just as the Museum on the Move shows a broadness of interests and the spirit of discovery in the area.
The Waste2Want craft making gazebo was yet another barometer of the creativity there is in the community seeking an outlet in an area of Kidderminster that doesn't have a community centre, where the parks are the only public spaces available to everybody of all ages, cultures and abilities.
The other vital component of KidsFest was the storytelling gazebo provided by Kidderminster Library where enchanting tales were woven and songs sung, engaging especially with the lower end of the vast age range of people attending KidsFest14. Again the Library has attracted new members through their ongoing involvement in St George's Park community events.
KidsFest is evidence of communities doing things for themselves, organising positive events and bringing the best of arts, crafts, theatre and discovery to the Horsefair.
The star attraction of this year's KidsFest was without doubt Kazzum with their two free performances of the interactive production Nana's Jumble, a play which entertained and delighted an audience of all ages from toddlers to grandparents. The enthusiastic feedback we have received shows what a huge success Nana's Jumble was and FoSGP are proud to have been able to bring such high quality theatre to our locality.
KidsFest14 in St George's Park demonstrates what communities can achieve working in imaginative partnerships. The Friends group are grateful to Wyre Forest District Council parks department for cutting the grass, tidying up the park and emptying the bins in preparation for the event. We also would like to thank the District Council/Kidderminster Arts Festival, Culture Shapers and Kidderminster Educational Foundation for their support in making this partnership event a huge success.