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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

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HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace on 26th November 2001. Part of a series of photographs taken to commemorate the Golden Jubilee in 2002. (Photo by Lichfield Archive via Getty Images)

The Royal Wootton Bassett Arts Festival would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II whose loyalty and service to our nation over the past seventy years has been exemplary. We were deeply saddened to hear of her passing, and our thoughts are especially with her family at this time. Her fortitude and dedication in serving her country and the Commonwealth with unbounding spirit and devotion is to be hugely admired. Her Majesty was always supportive of the theatre and the arts and was patron of over 50 musical and cultural organisations, and over 600 charities around the world.

HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace with Paddington Bear, taken to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. (Photo via BBC Images)

We feel privileged that our festival carries the name Royal. Her Majesty touched the hearts of people and was a shining example of grace and dedication to her nation. Our thoughts and prayers are especially with His Majesty King Charles III, the Queen’s successor, as he prepares to step into office. We send our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family at this time.

The Poet Roger McGough paid tribute to Her Majesty this way:

God Rest the Queen

by Roger McGough

She spoke volumes quietly.
Is everywhere and will remain so
Our shared interest, our common currency
The nation cannot let her go.

Stars untwinkle one by one
The moon, in shock, averts its gaze
No words express the grief we feel
How we loved thee, let us count the ways.

The future, fearful, has gone awol
Life goes on but not the one we know
Though wreaths and words may wither
The nation will not let her go.

Guns fall silent, the flag lowered
She who kept us close is gone
Winter is composing a sad anthem
It will play on and on and on.

8 September 2022

Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022) 

Rest in Peace

HM The Queen at Balmoral Palace, taken just prior to Her death on the 8th September (Photo via BBC Images)

Highlight’s Concert Covid Advice

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For all of you attending the Highlights Concert this Friday 4th February at The Memorial Hall, Station Road, Royal Wootton Bassett, we set out some information regarding Covid advice.

The latest Government guidelines regarding Covid regulations say that it is no longer a requirement to wear face coverings. Therefore, the public and performers have the option to choose if they prefer to wear masks or not.

Social distancing is also relaxed, and restrictions in England don’t include any limits on socialising, but it would be appreciated if people could please still respect distance with each other where possible.

PLEASE ENSURE CHILDREN ARE ACCOMPANIED AT ALL TIMES by a responsible parent or guardian, and that you are fully aware of our CHILD AND SAFEGUARDING PROTECTION INFORMATION.

We very much look forward to seeing you at the Concert on Friday when we will enjoy some of the most outstanding talent in the Festival across all disciplines.

Tickets for Highlight’s Concert, 2022

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Free tickets are now available for our Highlights Concert on Friday 4th February, 2022. Register to get yours here!

The Concert takes place at the Memorial Hall in Royal Wootton Bassett. All are welcome to join us for this annual celebration of talent.

Doors open at 6pm, concert starts at 6.30pm

You can find directions to the hall here, and there is plenty of parking. Any Covid related information will be provided nearer the time.

Our new Festival and Music Chair!

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We would like to welcome Julie Williams! Julie has volunteered to be our Festival Chair and our Music Chair as well!

Julie has a wealth of experience, and we are delighted that she is joining us. Julie’s background includes music , singing and performing. She has been a big band singer, has done cabaret singing, dancing and she plays the trumpet as well! Julie is a very gifted performer, and travelled the world with an all-girl big band called Ivy Benson. She ran her own performing arts school, and has performed on national tv and radio many times, as well as producing and directing many shows at the Wyvern Theatre and Arts Centre. 

We hope you join us in wishing Julie well in this new venture!

Highlight’s Concert

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Join us for the Highlights Concert on Friday 4th February, 2022.

The Concert takes place at the Memorial Hall in Royal Wootton Bassett. The most outstanding performers in the Festival will be invited to take part in the Highlights Concert but all are welcome to join us for this celebration of talent.

Doors open at 6pm, concert starts at 6.30pm

You can find directions to the hall here, and there is plenty of parking. Information on how to get tickets will be released shortly, so do please check back here and on our social media sites for further information.

Covid Regulations for the Festival Days

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All visitors, performers and spectators MUST arrive having had a NEGATIVE Lateral Flow Test result. If you feel ill on the day or have a POSITIVE result, please do not come to the Festival. We would respectfully ask that Visors or Masks should be worn in communal areas. Children under the age of twelve will be exempt.

Please note there will be a one-way system in operation.

ENTRY will be by glass doors directly in front of the Reception Desk. Your temperature will be taken on arrival. Tickets and Programmes will be available and directions to Performance Rooms highlighted.

EXIT will be indicated and at the END of THE STREET near the Sixth Form building.

Please keep appropriate distancing at all times, especially when queuing on arrival, outside rooms or for Certificates and Results.

Toilets will be limited to an Entry of FOUR at a time.

We have built in additional breaks between classes:

To allow audiences out of a room before the next audience will be allowed in

To enable frequent sanitising measures to take place

Please ensure you wash hands regularly. Sanitiser will be provided at Reception, at the Certificate Table and at the Café and in other strategic areas. Please help us all to stay safe.

PLEASE ENSURE CHILDREN ARE ACCOMPANIED AT ALL TIMES and that you are fully aware of our CHILD AND SAFEGUARDING PROTECTION INFORMATION.

Please appraise yourself of our safeguarding policies here, and you can find out site map here.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Festival and wish you all well for a wonderful time!

We are delighted we can return, giving our children and students every opportunity to shine!

Entries closing date looming!

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It is the last few days for you to enter our #RWBArtsFestival! All our details are online, and you can choose from many classes: Dance, Speech and Drama, Music, and Musical Theatre!

We can’t wait to get back to you all performing this autumn!

We are thrilled to see entries coming in & hope the Festival will give you all a boost after a hard 18 months. You can find help on how to enter our online system here, or find old paper forms here.

Any problems, please contact us on RWBArtsFestival@gmail.com

Or find us on Twitter @RWBArtsFestival 

Or on Facebook @RWBArtsFestival

And don’t forget our poetry competition!

Poetry Competition

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Following the success of our first ever Poetry competition in 2019 we are again offering the opportunity to young writers to share their talents with us in 2021. This time we have FOUR CATEGORIES!

YEAR ONE & YEAR TWO

To write a POEM on the theme of SPACE or FAIRYLAND

YEAR THREE & YEAR FOUR

To write a POEM on the theme of PETS or SCHOOL

YEAR FIVE & YEAR SIX

To write a poem on the theme of WITCHES & WIZARDS or SPORTS

YEARS SEVEN – NINE

Compose a poem on GAMING or FRIENDS

We are delighted to announce that we will have a real, live poet with us on the day!

CERI GASCOYNE

Ceri will judge the entries and will be joining us on SUNDAY 21st NOVEMBER to share in the fun!

All poems to be submitted by 31st October, 2021 to :

Mrs. Lara Farahar, 4 Grange Cottages, Grange Lane, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 0EP

lara.centreddrama@outlook.com

Please attach NAME, ADDRESS, SCHOOL YEAR, D.O.B, E-MAIL & TELEPHONE NUMBER with entries. You may submit more than one entry in your category if your wish. Competition entrants should be UK based, and entrants to the Festival itself (even if not on the day of adjudication).

All POEMS will be displayed at the Festival in November. There will be a WINNER in each group with 2nd & 3rd Placings.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals will be awarded, together with a prize. Winners will also have their work printed on the web, and in the programme, and may be invited to read their work at The Highlights Concert, or on the day of presentation if they wish.

Festival Chair News

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It is with mixed feelings that we announce the departure of our Festival Chair, Miranda Shirnia.

Overall, Miranda has been with us as Chair for four years, and has been with the Festival for about thirteen. She has been a stalwart of the Festival, and her endeavours have supported, shaped and delivered an ever growing Festival. We are very grateful to her for her investment of time and her support throughout these years.

So whilst we are sorry to lose Miranda, and she leaves a huge gap that we hope someone will soon be able to fill, we do, of course, wish her well. We hope that she enjoys the time she has reclaimed to do some other voluntary work which is close to her heart: working with wildlife. Miranda has many plans and we hope that she will be able to enjoy her new horizons!

Good luck, and thank you!

From all the Team at RWBAF.

If you are interested in joining the team as Chair, please see here.