The Marlborough Puppetry Festival being planned for the weekend of July 8-9 will include a special exhibition in St Peter’s Church titled A Walk down Memory Lane.
The Festival will be known as Bob Pelham’s World of Puppetry and the exhibition will feature photographs of people working in the original Pelham Puppet factory in Marlborough and include displays showing how the puppets were produced.
The organisers are inviting any former employees of Pelham Puppets to help with this exhibition – volunteering two or three-hour shifts over the two days at St Peter’s Church. They will be willing to talk to people coming to see the exhibition about their time working in the factory or as homeworkers.
The organisers explain: “They don’t need to know everything about the production process, this will be detailed in the exhibition, but it would be ideal for visitors to meet and be able to talk with former employees about their work and their recollections.”
Potential volunteers – or those who know someone who worked at the factory – can contact David Leech on 0741 5458 200 or by email: tradpup@btinternet.com ; The local contact Angie Dickens on 01672 515 171 or by email: rob@marlboroughwilts.co.uk
The Marlborough Puppetry Festival is a non-profit community event to mark the 70th anniversary of Pelham Puppets and will include professional puppeteers from all over the UK presenting a variety of performances, both indoors and out of doors – ranging from marionette performances and interactive exhibitions in the Town Hall and workshops, and with traditional Punch and Judy shows in Priory Gardens.