Saturday in the Buttermarket

It was community groups in the Buttermarket on Saturday.
Fairtrade Hay was there, selling Fairtrade olive oil and chocolate and fruit juice and so on, from the Wholefood shop, and some of the Egyptian patchwork they had left. I got a spectacle case, done in what I think is called a Flying Geese pattern - there were laptop cases made out of old men's ties, too, which looked rather good.
The Timbuktu people were there, too, with interesting facts about Timbuktu, and showing some of the things that have been achieved through the twinning with Hay.

And the History Group were there, with pictures of Old Hay, including groups of soldiers. Several local books were on sale, including the recent publication about the soldiers of the First World War, and others about the pubs and Major Armstrong. I bought a ticket for one of the talks which will be taking place over the History Weekend, featuring the Agincourt celebrations. A chap from Leeds Armoury, Bob Woosnam-Savage, is coming to the Castle to talk about the "vasty fields of ... Ireland" - the making of Olivier's Henry V, after the screening of Olivier's Henry V at the Bookshop Cinema on the Friday evening - that'll be on the 11th September, at 8pm in the Castle, with things happening in the Castle grounds all day on the Saturday, a parade round town, including horses from Cavalry of Heroes, who will also be staging a knightly swordfight. There will be morris dancers, and the Village Quire singing a variety of songs, including the Agincourt Carol.
I'll be there in medieval costume doing spinning and weaving and talking about arrows on the Saturday - it should be a fun day. Professor Anne Curry, renowned expert on Agincourt, will be giving a talk in the Castle on the Saturday evening and the Sunday evening, and there will be a calligraphy workshop, and all sorts of other things going on, like woodturning, and a workshop for making shields, swords and tabards.
Hay Theatre Company will be putting on their own version of Henry V in the Castle grounds, and there will be theatre workshops for 7 - 11 year olds and "senior youth".
All that and a pop-up museum, too!
Tickets are available from www.hayhistorygroup.co.uk