Click here to listen to music from Snailbeach Tails, composed and played by Simon Cresswell
Julia Dean-Richards moved to Snailbeach, Shropshire, four years ago and was bewitched by the landscape and life of this small but significant village in the beautiful Shropshire Hills. Julia says “I knew the first time I drove up the hill to the village, that this was a special place for me”.
Immersing herself in the creative community which exists in Snailbeach and Stiperstones, Julia created a story set in the area. Snailbeach Tails is set in the Shropshire Hills and through its lovable (and bizarre) characters, speaks of a recognisable rural landscape and heritage.
In the midst of writing the story, which quickly grew to become a full length novel, Julia met Fran O’Boyle, who has produced beautiful illustrations for the novel. Simon Cresswell, who currently works as a musician and guitar teacher in Shrewsbury, joined the team when he read part of the story and felt inspired to set it to music. In order to make the work accessible to as many people as possible, Julia, Simon and Fran, with local artist Ray Jacobs, have formed a group called ‘Figtree’ and have devised a performance bringing together words, music and pictures taken from the first part of the book.
Performances of Snailbeach Tails have taken place at:
Snailbeach Village Hall;The Mary Webb Society’s birthday celebration;
The Gateway Arts and Education Centre, Shrewsbury, as part of Shropshire Fringe;
Qube Gallery, Oswestry; Whaley Bridge Uniting Church, High Peak; Crab Apple Community, Berrington; Priory Hall, Much Wenlock.
Audience feedback: “magic”, “beautiful” and “a great night out”.
The next performance will be at Wellington Literary Festival, October 2013
The Figtree group also offer performance and workshop sessions, suitable for schools, community events and festivals: Contact Us