Last year over 600 people visited All Saints, Edmonton, for a glorious week of poetry, music, theatre and a wide range of other events. They were there for the Lamb Festival, an arts festival celebrating the lives and legacies of Charles and Mary Lamb, and the success of that first festival left us in no doubt that there should be a second (and hopefully a third, a fourth, a…).
The Lamb Festival 2015 will be held from Saturday 6th to Friday 12th June, and once again we’ve got a rich and varied programme of events to enjoy. Given that Charles and Mary Lamb’s most enduring literary legacy is their ‘Tales from Shakespeare’ for children, we thought it would be appropriate to launch the Festival with a children’s art fair on the Saturday: this will be an opportunity for children, young people (and I daresay the young at heart!) to enjoy hands on experiences of a range of different arts and crafts. This event is being generously supported by our friends at Art Start, Iconic Arts, Zinfinity and (probably) others. Also, as part of the launch event, we’ll be announcing the short-listed entries in the essay and photography competitions.
Our very good friend Joe Studman is coming back to lead not one but two walks on the theme, ‘Discover Edmonton’. His walk last year was hugely over-subscribed, and once again Joe will be highlighting some of the area’s rich literary history. Speaking of matters literary, I’m delighted that we will have two illustrated talks on themes relating to the Lambs this year. On the Monday evening we will be welcoming the author and ‘literary explorer’ Ann Morgan, and on the Wednesday evening we will have the Charles Lamb Society lecture, this year being given by Dr Felicity James of the University of Leicester. We’re also very much looking forward to welcoming back our friends at Carers UK for a poetry evening on the Thursday evening.
Musically, we have a wide range of fare on offer. At the Service of Thanksgiving on the Sunday afternoon, we will be welcoming the choir of Latymer All Saints Primary School. On Tuesday night the church will be resounding to the music of the North London Brass, and former All Saints’ organist Peter Smith will be returning for a lunchtime recital on the Wednesday of the Festival.
As with last year, all events will be offered free of any admission charge. This was one of the few aspects of the Festival to attract much criticism last year. However, it remains a central, and perhaps distinctive, part of the ethos of The Lamb Festival that it is there to offer people the opportunity to engage with and hopefully enjoy arts which they might never have considered ‘trying’ before. There is always the opportunity for people to make a donation, and I’m pleased to say that the bar turned a healthy profit last year!
