Wellington Town Council

All events free to the public but ticketed where indicated.  Tickets are available from the offices of Wellington Town Council.  All events start at 7.00pm unless otherwise indicated.  Full details are in the Festival programme which is now available.

Saturday October 4    George Alagiah

George Alagiah talks about his transformation from Tamil immigrant boy from civil war torn Sri Lanka to English man. It is a poignant journey that opens a window on a child’s struggle with his own cultural identity and the rigours of assimilation into a different world. But Alagiah finds that the "sink or swim" atmosphere of his Portsmouth boarding school is a world away from what he discovers is the "separate development" of so many immigrant children today. This is an intensely personal talk which tackles head on but in a humble, civilised and generous way some of the great challenges of multicultural Britain. Much more than an autobiography, it is a stimulating assessment of what the UK can best offer immigrants and what they in turn can and do offer us.

THERE ARE NO TICKETS LEFT FOR THIS EVENT. 

7.00pm Wrekin College, Sutherland Road, Wellington

Monday 6 October Dominic Hibberd on Wilfred Owen

Wilfred Owen , now widely recognised as the greatest poet of the First World War, was killed in action ninety years ago. Dominc Hibberd is the acknowledged expert on Owen’s life and poetry: his books include Owen the Poet (1986), Wilfred Owen: The last Year (1992), the much-praised Wilfred Owen: A New Biography (2002) and The Winter of the World: Poems of the First World War, an anthology edited with John Onions (2007).

7.00pm Wellington Methodist Church, New Street

Oct 7  Susan Summers at Dothill School

Susan trained as a teacher at Homerton College, Cambridge.  Her most recent book "The King's New Palace", a tale on the work of St Thomas in India was published in 2003.  As a spin-off from her books, Susan has visited over 400 schools, where she takes assemblies, tells stories and runs workshops in creative writing, illustrating and storytelling.

Oct 7  Severn Spirit - an entertainment

The stories and poetry of the River Severn

"Severn Spirit tells the story of the river through its folk tales, poetry, and music. This light-hearted family show has delighted audiences up and down the river."

7.00pm Hayward Arts Centre, New Colege, King Street, Wellington

Oct 8 Jim Hatfield at Wrekin View School. 

Jim Hatfield has been telling tales and performing poems in schools and elswhere for a quarter of a century.  Most are set in Shropshire, on or close to The Wrekin.

Oct 8      Richard Bifield "A Brief History of Telford - or 2000 years in 60 minutes (give or take…) with special mention of its literary associations through the ages."

There’s more to our local history than the Industrial Revolution…: starting when the Romans met the incumbent Iron Age tribes this illustrated talk is a light-hearted canter through the last two millennia showing the way the district has changed and developed - its buildings, landscapes and personalities with asides about its home-grown literary figures and hints on what to read to find out more.

7.00pm, Council ChamberCivic Centre

Oct 9 Allan Frost and the Wellington Civic Society:

Launch of Allan's book "Memories of Secondary School Days"

Launch of Wellington History Group

This will be latest in the annual books produced by Wellington Civic Society and features personal memories and photographs of the town's Secondary schools from the 1920s until more recent times.

Newly-formed Wellington History Group will also be present to talk about their aims and how you can help their investigations into Wellington's fascinating past.

5.30pm - 7.00pm Wellington Methodist Church, New Street, Wellington

Oct 13 Gladys Mary Coles on Mary Webb

Gladys Mary Coles talks about novelist and poet, Mary Webb, Shropshire's most famous daughter. Mary Webb (1881-1927) created a fictional Shropshire comparable with Hardy's Wessex and the Brontes' Yorkshire. Her novels Precious Bane and Gone to Earth are internationally known,  dramatised for stage and screen. Gladys Mary Coles shows how Mary Webb's life and work were influenced by the Shropshire countryside she loved. Dr Coles is the world authority on Mary Webb and President of the Mary Webb Society: her books include the acclaimed biography of Webb, The Flower of Light (1998); a shorter study Mary Webb (1990); and Selected Poems of Mary Webb (2005). Also a well-known poet, her prize-winning collection The Echoing Green (2001) includes a long sequence on Mary Webb.

Gordon Dickens, whose images enhance the talk, is Vice-President and Chair of the ary Webb Society.

See our Film Night on Monday 20th October which will be a showing of "Gone to Earth"

7.00pm Hayward Arts Centre, New College, King Street, Wellington

Oct 14 Reading group at the Old Orleton, led by Ted LiddyYou are invited to join a reading group discussion of Catherine O’Flynn’s novel "What was lost" which won the 2007 Costa First Book Award and the 2007 Jelf Group First Fiction Prize.

The novel, drawing on the author’s personal experience of working in a city centre shopping precinct is partly a ghost story, partly a mystery.

"It is an exceptional novel of urban disaffection, written with humour and pathos, interweaving an examination of unspeakable loss". (The Guardian).

This event should inspire significant interest not only because Catherine O’Flynn is a local author but also because she is appearing herself at the Festival on 22th Oct

10.30am The Old Orleton, Wellington

Oct 15  Lance Pierson on John Milton:

 Pre-eminence Lost?

This year is the 400th anniversary of the birth of the poet John Milton. Until the 20th Century he was accepted as the second greatest poet in the English language, eclipsed only by Shakespeare. Today he is seldom read despite his influence on Tolkein, Philp Pullman and Harry Potter.  Lance Pierson explores whether his reputation should be restored. The show will feature extracts from Paradise Lost, Samson Agonistes, L’Allegro and Il Penseroso, Comus, Lycidas and the Sonnets.

"The very performance Lance produces adds to the resonance and beauty of the verse tenfold; performance poetry is an art in which he truly thrives. His vocal range is hypnotic and limitless." Three Weeks, Edinburgh Festival 2007

7.00pm Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Wellington

Oct 16 Saltmine presents "Chain Breakers" at Wellington Methodist Church.  This will be a TICKET ONLY event

Two hundred years ago the British were the world’s leaders in the slave trade. The fight to abolish this horrific practise is a gripping story of persistence, self-sacrifice and courage. From the trading cities of Liverpool and Bristol, and the hallowed chambers of the House of Commons to the fiery hell of the Jamaican slave rebellion ‘The Chainbreakers’ is a fast paced journey through the turbulent history of the battle for abolition. 

Brought to the stage by the writers and performers of the Saltmine Creative Arts, this production is presented in support of the ‘ Stop the Traffik’ campaign.

How many people does it take to change the world?

7.00pm Wellington Methodist Church, New Street, Wellington

ALLTICKETS GONE

Oct 17 Allan Frost on the life of Hesba Stretton 1832 - 1911

Allan Frost will talk about the life of Wellington's most famous authoress and how her experiences of growing up in the town influenced her work. He will also launch his biography of Hesba's life, which will include her international bestseller "Jessica's First Prayer" first published in 1867.

7.00pm Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Wellington

Saturday October 18      Wrekin Writers Workshop

Morning Workshop 10.00 – 12.30am (£5 or £4.50 if you reserve your place)

Writing the Crime Novel with Priscilla Masters

This workshop will focus on structure, choosing a title, writing dialogue, building character, plotting, and red herrings as well as providing an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.

Afternoon Workshop 1.30 – 4.00pm (£5 or £4.50 if you reserve your place)

Down with Doggerel with Mollie Bolt

Have you ever wanted to write poetry? Then this workshop is for you. Mollie Bolt will be showing you how to develop your ideas into poetry.

To reserve your place on either or both of these workshops log on to www.wrekinwriters.co.uk or phone Mike on 01952 299232

7.00pm Civic Centre, Wellington

Oct 20 Film Night

A showing of the film of Mary Webb's novel "Gone to Earth"  which was written in 1916 during the dark uncertainty and horror of the First World War. Although there is no direct mention of the war in its pages it is a novel most intimately related to this sad period. This story of a country girl, set in a remote area of Shropshire, and with only a handful of rural characters, is nevertheless a profoundly moving expression of the tragic spirit of those years when multitudes, slaughtered, were indeed 'gone to earth'.

Civic Centre, Wellington

Oct 21 Mary Queen of Scots portrayed by Lesley Smith - Curator of Tutbury Castle and Elizabethan Historian

Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner at Tutbury Castle on four occasions and it was her first English prison.

She left Tutbury for the last time in 1585 when she was moved to Chartley. From there she was sent to Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire where she was executed in 1586.

Here is a chance to meet Mary Queen of Scots, in full authentic costume, during her imprisonment at Tutbury where she spent a lot of time reading, writing letters and doing embroidery.

Learn about Mary’s three marriages and about life in general in Tudor times.

 Wednesday October 22  Catherine O'Flynn - "What was Lost" has won the Costa First Novel award and must now be regarded as one of the most interesting novels of 2007.  It has figured in many of the Books of the Year Christmas round-ups, scooped the Jelf Group First Novel Prize, been shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Prize and longlisted for the Man Booker and Orange Prizes.

The novel begins with 9-year-old detective Kate Meaney, looking out for crime in the newly built Green Oaks shopping centre before she vanishes and the narrative shifts forward twenty years to a security guard at Green Oaks who catches sight of her on CCTV.  The novel is partly inspired by Catherine's childhood in Birmingham.

• WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST BOOK AWARD 2007
• WINNER OF WATERSTONE’S NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2008
• SHORTLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD 2007
• LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE FOR FICTION 2007
• LONGLISTED FOR THE ORANGE BROADBAND PRIZE FOR FICTION 2007
• SHORTLISTED FOR THE SOUTH BANK SHOW LITERATURE AWARD 2007
• MARCH 2007: WHAT WAS LOST was the RADIO FIVE LIVE BOOK of the MONTH

Panellists were unanimous in their praise for the novel as ‘genuinely most impressive’. They likened Catherine O’Flynn’s cultural perceptiveness to Douglas Coupland’s in Generation X, and compared her popular appeal to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

7.00pm Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Wellington

Oct 23      Louis de Bernieres and Ilone Antonius-Jones

"A Partisan’s Daughter"

Readings and music with Louis de Bernieres and Ilone Antonius-Jones

In this light-hearted and innovative book and music event the author will talk about and read from his latest novel. To compliment the readings the duo will perform Serbian/Eastern European music, some Bob Dylan as well as classical tunes on a variety of instruments.

A Partisan’s Daughter is set in London during the winter of discontent and tells of Roza, an illegal immigrant from Yugoslavia and Chris, an unhappy medical salesman. He falls for her as she enchants him with her stories.

A very different book event!

Please note that this is now a ticketed event.

7.00pm New College Hall, New College, King Street, Wellington

Oct 24   "An Evening with Katherine Swift"

Katherine Swift lives at The Dower House, Morville Hall in Shropshire. She worked as a rare book librarian in Oxford and Dublin before becoming a full-time gardener and writer in 1988.  Katherine has written widely in the gardening press and was gardening columnist for The Times for four years.

In 1988, Katherine and her husband leased the Dower House at Morville from The National Trust. Her intention was that she, a novice gardener, would dig up a field and create a large elaborate garden.  Katherine took her inspiration from illustrations to the medieval Books of Hours, to create a series of gardens reflecting both the seasons of the gardeners year and the history of Morville and its inhabitants - ‘ Welsh voices, Shropshire voices, Black Country voices telling stories of the land and the village and its people’.

Free refreshments available from 730pm

Signed copies of Katherine’s book "The Morville Hours" will be available for purchase

Telford & Wrekin Libraries National Year of Reading Author event

7.30pm Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Wellington

Please note that this is a ticketed event.  Tickets available from Wellington Library or Wellington Civic Offices.

Oct 27 Julian Roach on Shelley

Julian Roach studied English at Oxford before becoming a television scriptwriter, in which position he worked on everything from soaps (267 episodes of Coronation Street) to comedies. In Shelley's Boat he returns to 1822 and Shelley's final summer, spent on the Golfo di Spezia, and describes the events up to and beyond the poet's death.

7.00pm Wellington Methodist Church, New Street, Wellington

Oct 28 Les Scott with Ian Rush

In 2006, Liverpool fans voted Ian Rush among the top three all-time greatest players in the history of the club. Taking his place alongside Kenny Dalglish and Stevie Gerrard, he surpassed legends such as Fowler, Keegan, Owen, Smith, Carragher and Hansen. Ian Rush is quite simply Liverpool's greatest goalscorer and, along with Jimmy Greaves and Denis Law, one of the finest natural penalty-box predators the game has ever seen. He appears here with Les Scott who is returning after his success at the Literary Festival last year. One not to miss!

7.00pm AFC Telford Learning Centre

ALLTICKETS GONE

Oct 29 Poems and Pints night at the Wrekin Tap  Read your own poems, favourites by others or simply listen.  An informal gathering of writers, readers and listeners alike.  Hosted by Jim Hatfield and Tony Stringfellow

7.30pm for 8.00pm The Cock, Holyhead Road, Wellington

Oct 30 Simon Hoggart is the parliamentary sketch-writer and diarist for the Guardian. He also writes about wine and TV for the Spectator and is the former host of Radio 4’s News Quiz. He is the author of two compendiums of round robin Christmas letters The Cat that Could Open the Fridge and The Hamster that Loved Puccini and of Don’t Tell Mum: Hair-Raising Messages Home from Gap-Year Travellers. His collection of parliamentary sketches covering the Blair era, The Hands of History, was published in 2007.

7.00pm New College Hall, New College, King Street, Wellington

Tickets needed and available now from Civic Offices Tel: 01952 567697

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