A LOCAL author teamed up with a youth theatre group at Bridges Centre to launch her second in the series of local time-travelling tales ‘Spirals of Time’.

The Savoy Youth Theatre took the part of Romans and story-tellers for Margaret Iggulden’s book ‘The Amethyst Wand’ where twins, Tara and David, cousin Simone and puppy, Bethan, are transported back to the Iron Age to a Silures tribe hillfort in Caerleon 79AD. The might of the Roman army is below them. Will the tribe be crushed? Who is the mysterious Seer? Can the time travellers find the magic talisman and escape from the fortress? And why is the amethyst wand so important?

The youth theatre helped to bring the story to life with readings and an enactment of a fight between the silures and the Romans.

Roman and Iron Age artefacts discovered near Caerleon by local archaeologist Stephen Clarke had been loaned to give a feeling for the period along with other more modern recreations of ancient life.

Drawing and colouring workshops of scenes from Iron Age times and face-painting engaged the younger element who could chose to be a god or a goddess.

Margaret’s first book was set in the Wye Valley where the time-travelling heroes were transported from Harolds Stones, Trellech to 1398 on a quest to save the planet.

This was inspired when Monmouthshire-born Margaret visited all the places she loved: Tintern Abbey, Trellech. Bigsweir. She bought a copy of ‘Down the Dig’ by l Stephen Clarke and was fascinated by his account of finding pottery kilns in Monmouth.

Sam Densham of the Savoy Youth theatre said she was “thrilled to be able to use the talents of the group for the launch of Margaret’s book”.

The group of talented actors will be starting rehearsals for their next production, ‘Shrek Junior’ soon.

Margarets book is available from all good booksellers, priced £7.99.