Five islands host festival of arts and culture
ACELEBRATION of arts and culture will be held this May on the Isles of Scilly. Creative Scilly will run from Friday, May 10, to Sunday, May 19, with a programme which covers all five inhabited islands featuring an eclectic mix of home-grown Scillonian artists, mainland creatives and performers, offering craft workshops, engaging talks, magical musical events and theatrical performances in some of the most unique locations in the British Isles.
The Islands Partnership has curated a diverse and broad programme for all ages.
At the forefront of the event, championing islanders, the new Meet the Maker series is a collection of intimate demonstrations, talks and hands-on workshops. These include talks and demonstrations by St Martin’s jeweller Faye Page, St Mary’s potter and artist John Bordeaux, and mutlidisciplinary artist Maisie Humpreys.
Others in this series include a presentation with organic seaweed skin care brand Phoenix & Providence and a Q&A with renowned Bryher artist Richard Pearce in his waterside studio.
Phoenix Studios, near Porthmellon beach, is a collective of makers under one roof, founded by glassfusing artist Oriel Hicks. The artists will take up their stations, workbenches and kilns to host an open evening with wine and nibbles, showcasing their individual talents.
Due to its popularity, Paint the Day is back with a painting competition in which visitors and residents spend the day exploring and capturing the islands of Tresco and St Mary’s in different mediums, in time for an evening judging panel and prize-giving ceremony.
The mainland guests are some of the most diverse to date: marrying comedy and natural history, BBC producer Simon Nicholls, who produces the Sue Perkins Radio 4 show The Nature Table, will be in conversation with the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust’s conservation manager Jaclyn Pearson, as well as discussing his new book.
For literary and wine lovers, Read Between the Wines is a book club with a difference.
A celebration of wordsmithery and winecraft, sisters Clare and Lucy Howdle pair a short story with three wines, and where better to host this than the bucolic wildflower meadow vines of St Martin’s vineyard, where guests will sample a Scilloniangrown red, white and rosé.
Soprano Nancy May, currently touring with Russell Watson, will be singing her favourites from traditional and contemporary opera at an evening, candlelit performance in St Nicholas Church on Tresco.
There will be music from British folk band Mad Dog Mcrea, who blend a lively mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz and bluegrass, plus island blues and jazz duo The Sol D’ors, playing al fresco on the sandy terrace at Karma Hotel on St Martin’s.
The much-loved local Miracle Theatre bring their brand new production The Quizzards, a comedy caberet pub quiz to three islands, and the Cornish comedian Tamsyn Kelly, who made waves at the Edinburgh Fringe, and has supported talent such as Seann Walsh and Russell Kane, is a final weekend headliner.
Isles of Scilly Travel are offering a 10% discount on travel between May 6 and May 24 on both Penzance and Land’s End routes with the code CS0524. Visit www.islesofscillytravel.co.uk.
Penzance Helicopters are offering a 10% discount on routes to St Mary’s and Tresco from May 9-20 with the code CREATSCILLY.
Visit www.penzancehelicopters. co.uk.
Tickets start at £5. For more information visit www.visitislesofscilly. com