News & Events
Prescot Festival Welcomes 1,600
After 13 years, a Merseyside arts festival has proved it can still pull in big crowds.
The Prescot Festival of Music & the Arts drew an impressive 1,600 visitors between 16 and 25 June, with a programme that starred the Chilled Lemons Jazz Quintet, Leyland Band—Lancashire’s number one-ranking brass band—and the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment, one of the country’s most popular military ensembles.
The official figure doesn’t include the Prescot Carnival—one of more than a dozen events packed in to 10 days—which this year attracted an estimated 5,000 people in blazing sunshine and soaring summer temperatures.
Among other hugely popular highlights of the festival were the Phoenix Concert Orchestra, the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Girl Choristers and a screening of Willy Russell’s classic BBC play Our Day Out, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
“There was a real buzz in the air this year,” said founder and artistic director Dr Robert Howard, “and audiences were unprecedented in their enthusiasm, be it through applause, cheering, standing ovations or—as in the case of the brilliantly entertaining Our Day Out—roars of laughter
“Festivals often don’t last more than three or four years, so we’re massively proud to have sustained this top-quality celebration of arts and music for well over a decade now.”
In 2016, Dr Howard, Assistant Head of Music Faculty at St Edward’s College, Liverpool, received the ‘Exceptional Service’ award from the British Arts Festivals Association (BAFA) for his pioneering role with the festival.
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Winners of the Community Recognition Awards 2017/18
This year the Town Council introduced the Prescot Community Recognition Awards. These awards have been designed to recognise the positive impact that certain individual residents and community groups have on the Town through their hard work and dedication. There are two awards, one for Citizen of the Year and another for community group of the year.
With so many worthy winners the inaugural competition was extremely tight, the panel were however able to agree the winners of this year and both awards were presented by the incoming Mayor Cllr Jennifer Chadwick at the annual Mayor Making event held on 27th May 2017.
Mrs Betty Brown – picked up the Citizen of the year Award, Betty’s continual hard work over a great many years within Prescot really impressed the panel and ultimately won through in the individual category.
The Prescot Festival – picked up the Community Group of the Year award. The Prescot Festival has been running for 13 years and over that time has engaged with thousands, both from Prescot and the wider area, thus helping to raise the profile of the Town. The panel recognized the level of commitment it has taken to put on not one but thirteen individual events over the nine-day duration of the festival, on thirteen occasions!
Another great day for Prescot Carnival
Prescot Festival Preparing for Grand Finale
Almost 500 people came through the oak doors of Prescot’s Jacobean parish church for the opening weekend of the town’s annual festival.
Lancashire’s number-one ranking brass band, Leyland Band, initiated the proceedings on Friday night, receiving a standing ovation after their encore of Strauss’s Radetzky March.
On Saturday, a magnificent performance by the Prescot Festival Chorus was followed by the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Girl Choristers, in a stunning festival debut.
The internationally renowned organist Professor Dr Ian Tracey rounded off the weekend’s concerts on Sunday afternoon. Now Organist to the City of Liverpool, Organist Titulaire of Liverpool Cathedral, and Chorusmaster to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Ian began his musical career at St Mary’s Prescot over four decades ago.
Elsewhere in the town, crowds flocked to the Prescot Carnival to enjoy funfair rides and live entertainment in blazing sunshine and soaring temperatures.
The programme continues throughout the week with jazz, acoustic music and film before a finale weekend featuring songs from the shows with Phoenix Concert Orchestra, traditional choral evensong with Prescot Parish Church Choir, and a Proms-style closing concert with the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment.
“Once again we’ve been overwhelmed by the sheer quality of musical skill and talent,” said Artistic Director Dr Robert Howard, “and it only heightens our eager anticipation of the closing weekend.”
The 13th Annual Prescot Festival of Music & the Arts runs till Sunday 25 June in the historic Lancashire town of Prescot, Merseyside. Tickets are on sale online at www.prescotfestival.co.ukor in person at Poco Coffee, 30 Eccleston Street, Prescot, L34 5QJ.
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