STORIES of Forest brass bands will form part of a new community-sourced play exploring the region’s memories.

Wyldwood Arts will present Forest Tales at schools, community venues, care homes and other venues with input from Lydbrook’s training band.

Funded by Arts Council England, Forest of Dean District Council and the Henry Smith Charity, Wyldwood’s latest ‘Chat Back’ project will see events throughout the area.

The script for the Lydbrook-based group is being written by dramatist Mike Akers, who has recently been involved in Peter Pan and Jane Eyre at the National Theatre and La Strada which is now on tour. 

Forest Tales is described as “an intergenerational exploration of memories” of the Forest of Dean.

Lydbrook Youth Theatre will perform its response to the stories they have collected from older residents at the Coleford Festival of Words on Wednesday, July 5, at The Main Place, before Forest Tales is performed at the Dean Heritage Centre in Soudley on Sunday, August 20.

Other dates include the West Dean Centre in Bream on Thursday, August 24, Cinderford Artspace on Friday, September 1, and a special performance at Lydbrook Memorial Hall on Saturday, September 16, with the Lydbrook Band.

Further dates will take place at the Sling Scarr Bandstand, The Orchard Trust in Lydbrook, Pillowell Community Centre and in care homes such as Dora Matthews House in Coleford.

Chat Back has been devised by Wyldwood Arts working in partnership to deliver creative arts projects with older adults and young people.

Wyldwood produces community-focused, participatory arts-based projects across Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset and Herefordshire, with the aim of “unifying communities and bringing emotional and mental well-being to all those involved through project participation”.

Wyldwood has been running workshops with children and older people to capture an eclectic mix of local Forest stories and memories.

The story gathering sessions have been facilitated by local artists and have been brought together to create the new production.

Amongst other memories, the performance will focus on the stories of the local brass band movement, as an important part of the fabric of the Forest.

Spokeswoman Isobel Heywood said: “All aspects of the play have been inclusive of the community, with the set being created in public screen-printing workshops organised by Wyldwood and facilitated by Rob Toomer at Artspace, Cinderford.”

If you’d like a performance in your local community contact Wyldwood on [email protected] and for more information see www.wyldwoodarts.co.uk, @WyldwoodArtsCIC and @Wyldoodarts.