Celebrating everything that is Tilbury (From Thurrock Gazette)

Celebrating everything that is Tilbury

7:20am Friday 2nd November 2012 in News

TOMORROW (Saturday) sees a day of celebrating in the Totally Tilbury festival at the London Cruise Terminal – an “innovative community heritage event.”

The community has come together to put on the festival, inspired by the negative results of the Wellbeing Survey in June which found Thurrock was one of the most miserable places in the UK.

Totally Tilbury is run by theatre group Theatre Is, the Gateway Learning Community and the Port of Tilbury.

The main stage at the show, which will run from 2pm to 8pm on Saturday, November 2, will see community performers team up with professionals as the story of Tilbury and its 100-year history is told.

Braedie Atkins, 14, the latest in a 100-year family generation of Tilbury folk, will narrate the story.

Over the past month, Theatre Is has been holding community workshops, offering local people the chance to perform at the event.

Jonathan Catton, Gazette columnist and curator of the Thurrock Museum, has inspired youngsters with stories of Tilbury and the community has also had a chance to work Sunanda Biswas, the choreographer behind the NHS dance routine at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Festival organiser Jen Farrant said: “We, along with the Gateway Learning Community and the Port of Tilbury, want to get the community together to be proud of their immense heritage and explore their creative side.

“We’ve been delighted with the support the local community has given this event.

“All our workshops have been jam-packed with young and old, all looking to get involved in performing at the event and finding out more about Tilbury’s history.”

Entry to the festival is on a ‘come and go’ basis and costs just £3 per person, or £10 for a group of five.

The festival will also be operating a free bus service from Tilbury Town Railway Station to the cruise terminal.