Many people know the song ‘The Twelve days of Christmas’ – it’s a cumulative song in which more and more gifts are given by ‘my true love’.
If you count up the individual gifts it comes to a grand total of 78 items. That’s a lot of presents – especially if you are one of the Island Storytellers involved in Ventnor’s Community Christmas window spot competition.
The storytellers have been beavering away making figures and animals to hide in upwards of fifty shop and business windows about the town.
Bailey: It’s been great fun
One of the storytellers, Sue Bailey, said,
“It’s been great fun creating milkmaids, geese, lords a-leaping and myriad other figures.
“There has been a little team of knitters creating eleven pipers piping and while some people have been knitting, another storyteller, Sue Clark, has been adding the finishing touches to the pipers giving them bagpipes and sporrans.”
Clark: They are looking great now
Sue Clark said,
“Some of the pipers are somewhat portly and I have had to put them on a strict diet so that their kilts fitted.
“In some cases, I have even had to remove some of their stuffing. But they are looking great now.”
Richards: We are looking forward to hiding them in the shop windows
Another storyteller and maker, Julia Richards, said,
“I have been making the swans. They are all ready now and we are looking forward to hiding them in the shop windows.
“All the items will be in place by 9th December, ready for the competition which runs from 9th-16th December with the winner being announced on Sunday 17th December.”
The window spot competition is only one of many things being co-ordinated by Ventnor Carnival Association taking place in Ventnor on 16th December, such as a craft fair, music, Santa’s grotto, lantern parade, all culminating with a carol concert in Ventnor Park.
Storytelling performances
Sue Bailey continued,
“The Island storytellers are doing two performances of stories connected to characters in the song.
“The first is at Ventnor Exchange at 11.30am and the second is in St Catherine’s Church Meeting Room at 1.30pm.
“There will be tales about swans, golden rings, drummers, hens and more. Entry is by donation on the door of something (such as cans, cookies, crackers or cash) to Ventnor Community Foodbank.
“We also hope to do some pop up storytelling in some of the shops that have window spots. We won’t say where, nor when but it will be somewhen and somewhere, so be prepared, if you are shopping in some of Ventnor’s great range of shops, you might be regaled with a tale or two.”
Somewhenever storytelling initiative
Financial assistance for materials and venue hire has come from the grant awarded to the Island Storytellers as part of their Somewhenever storytelling initiative.
This year long project has seen traditional storytelling appearing at places like Chale Show and Ventnor Fringe, bringing internationally known storytellers to the Island, as well as providing performance opportunities for local storytellers.
News shared by Sue on behalf of Island Storytellers. Ed
