Email: info@festivalofthrift.co.uk
Media: rachel@festivalofthrift.co.uk
KIRKLEATHAM MUSEUM REDCAR TS10 5NW
The fast fashion revolution has brought a vast choice of cheap clothes right to our doorstep – so where’s the catch? Well, worse-off garment workers, soaring use of virgin-plastic fabrics, mountains of textile waste… Already a new model eco-army are pushing back and disrupting the march of the fashion industry – second-hand is again first choice for many, clothing rental is about to boom and everything from pineapple husks to coffee grounds are being turned, like magic, into fabric. Welcome to the future! with: Lynne Hugill – Fashion Course Leader at MIMA School of Art & Design, Teeside University. Jade McSorley – Top Model and founder of the LOANHOOD fashion rental app. Neeraj Sharma – CEO of Daisy Chain and Stockton’s Charity Superstore.
Are you fretting about your footprint? Worried about waste? Rae to the rescue! Must I swap turkey for nut roast this Christmas? Or wash up rather than ditch paper plates in a bin bag? Can I be greener without turning into the fun police? Unburden yourself and ask our expert. Rae writes about how can we all live and work in ways that better support people and planet for The Guardian, Grazia, Huff Post, Woman’s Weekly and more.
Even in the midst of a climate crisis, ‘apocalypse fatigue’ is a growing problem – we’re getting weary of the endless bad news and the moral dilemmas we increasingly face. Then ‘rewilding’ comes along and they’re bringing back wolves and it sounds really exciting! Or is it just a seductively-named fad?
This fascinating discussion reveals the astonishing climate-restoring power that protecting, regenerating and rewilding our land AND our seas will have.
Featuring: Sharon Lashley – Climate Action North and Rewilding Britain North East Network. Jean-Luc Solandt – Marine Conservation Society. Frankie Turk – Re-Peat, a youth-led collective pushing for peatland paradigm shift. Kelly Crews – Carbon Reduction and Sustainability Manager South Tyneside Council
Almost 10 years ago Jordon was a crowd-pleaser at our first Festival of Thrift – he was just 15 and already a money saving superstar.
Now 24, he’s a blogger and podcaster of all things coupons and we’re thrilled to welcome him back with the inside track on freebies and bargains that save you money. As Jordon says… follow his tips and tricks, you’ll never pay full price again.
Is sustainable fishing a myth? Maybe we should just stop eating fish altogether? These are the questions on the minds of millions who watched the recent Netflix eco-documentary Seaspiracy. So, how can we ensure there is a future for everything that lives in the ocean and all those who depend on it?
Featuring: Joe Redfern – Marine biologist, sustainable fisherman, Director of Whitby Lobster Hatchery. Jean-Luc Solandt – Marine Conservation Society. Carmen Marcus – Redcar fisherman’s daughter, artist and author. Kelly Crews – Carbon Reduction and Sustainability Manager South Tyneside Council
A 16 year old Singer. Leon attends Tuned In! 2 Music sessions where he has been working with music leaders on various music making workshops. Leon has also been performing across Redcar & Cleveland at events including
A 17 year old singer and songwriter who has been performing are various events around the borough. Alex recently released her debut single ‘You Broke Me’
A 19 year old Singer/Songwriter. Lara attends the Tuned In! 2 Music sessions and has since been perfecting her craft singing at festivals and other events. Lara has also been songwriting and her song ‘Sunday’ was featured as part of the digital #ThriftFest in 2019. Lara is a multi instrumentalist who sings, plays piano and also Ukulele.
Babyface is a 3 piece girl band who all met at Tuned In! From then they have been working together to create a setlist of songs to perform exclusively for events in Redcar & Cleveland. The band have come along way learning their instruments and look forward to performing.
Rayven is a 13yr old singer, dancer and actor who enjoys performing and writing her own songs. Rayven has a passion for musical theatre and plays. She have been learning drums, bass and rhythm guitar to help with her songwriting talents.
“Inspired by his Grandad Jimmy’s sing-a-long Pub Table antics in bygone days, Wildcats of Kilkenny frontman Mike McGrother brings his raggle-taggle band of hillbilly smilers to Thrift complete with a hefty dose of Shanty singing backing vocalists in the form of the mighty Infant Hercules! Expect a foot-stomping mix of Celtic meets Cowpen; Shanty meets Stockton and Americana meets Acklam as Mike fuses his boundless passion for Teesside with songs to singalong with and help us smile through our Sunday! Featuring members of The Wonder Stuff, Funk Collective and Big Red and the Grinners the boys are back in town and ready to blow every man, woman and child down with a big cheeky grin and hefty dose of Teesside blarney. Learn the songs with them as they pop up on site or just come down to the music stage and enjoy the Haverton Hillbilly Party!
It’s everywhere, it’s fresh and clean, it’s cheap and plentiful, it’s alive and sustaining. Is it though? Is it really?
Our precious water is under pressure. Actually, there’s not enough of it, in the right places. And as agriculture, industry and all of us demand more of it – something’s gotta give.
Meet some of the people who can explain why – just because it rains, well, often, we need to protect our most delicious asset.
Featuring: Rachel Murtagh Tees Valley Nature Partnership (Chair). Ben Lamb – Trust Manager at Tees Rivers Trust Ruth Scott – Northumbrian Water, Water Efficiency Programme Coordinator. Rachel Ashwanden – Meat Your Persona.
Carmen shares the practical and magical stories of her fishing heritage; how the family coble, the Daisy Ellen, was sold and lost decades ago and how, after an eventful search, she will soon return her to Redcar’s Fishermans Square. How her experience inspired the writing of her first novel, How Saints Die, about a troubled Northern fishing family rescued and protected by myths of the sea. And her latest project, The Catch, that has taken her deeper still into the local fishing community.
Just think about this – earlier this year, second-hand clothing app Depop was bought for 1.6 billion dollars! Well, back in 1982 no one was selling second-hand clothes; it was considered a no-no, dirty and even desperate. So, when Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway’s thrifty stall opened on Camden Market that year it was both radical and risky. The fashionable and soon-to-be-famous flocked to it and in a few months the Hemingways were launching their iconic label, Red or Dead. They had changed the way we dress. Join them and hear how it all began, how their unique take on sustainable design has evolved and what they think the Depop phenomenon means for the future of fashion and sustainability.
Construction is the biggest contributor to CO2 emissions globally, a whopping 38% of the total. Surprised? Change may be overdue but it’s coming now – architects are driving it, constructors are up-for-it and clients are demanding it. In this inspiring discussion we’ll discover some of the brilliant people, ideas, innovations and sustainable design that are up-ending the way we build around the planet… and locally – looking at a regeneration project starting at Kirkleatham Hall School later this year. with: Timothy Crawshaw – International Planning and Development Consultant, Chair of Tees Valley Nature Partnership, Vice President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (Chair). Christine Thornley – Chartered Architect at Grove Studio Architecture and Chair of RIBA North East. Mark Barlow – Managing Director at LOGIC architecture who are developing Kirkleatham Hall School.
Co-commissioned with Dance City, Newcastle. The last two islanders in the world are adrift in a wide and lonely sea of plastic. ‘How did thingscome to this?’ they wonder, as they carry out their age-old daily routines, clinging determinedly to the last remnants of the life they once lived on land. One day, they are visited by a mysterious creature from the depths of the sea. Are they ready for the chaos that ensues? A show about two cultures coexisting in the same environment and the struggle to find a place of mutual understanding from which to move forward. Location Pink Zone
Drowning under a crushing mass of plastic, the Keeper of the Waterways awakens and rises up. It’s time for change. Highly Sprung’s CastAway is a stunning outdoor performance that explores the impact of today’s throwaway society on our waterways. Featuring a unique gyroscopic flying machine, it presents a brand new approach to aerial theatre. The all-female cast immerses audiences in an underwater world where performers dive, twist and float over 26 feet in the air to delight, inspire and captivate audiences of all ages. CastAway responds to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a floating island of everlasting plastic that has now grown to 6½ times the size of the UK. It presents an alternative, sustainable and more compassionate way of being and challenges us to consider our own actions in the face of climate change. With the weight of plastic now greater than the weight of humanity, what better time than now to take action? By Highly Sprung. Commissioned by the Coventry City of Culture Trust, the Canal and River Trust, The Arches Worcester Festivals at Severn Arts and Basingstoke Festival.
THE TOWN IS THE MENU is back, inspired by Marske-by-the-sea, full of food, fun and conversation. What would your town look like on a plate?
Pull up a chair and join our 36 metre long communal table for an unforgettable three-course lunch under a big sky, with spirit lifting live musical performances too. This year’s menu is inspired by the people and the stories of Marske, just along the road from our festival site. Created by The Ugly Duckling, a cooking collective who produce nourishing food that is respectful of the planet – expect a witty and seasonal feast prepared with local wonky veg and perfectly good ‘waste’ food. £7.00 – suitable for vegetarians, regrettably we are unable to accommodate special dietary requirements’
This is an outdoor event, so dress appropriately.
Almost as old as the oldest civilisation is the myth of the flood. The story of a few who survive the waters through divine intervention, and the help of a boat… but the flood we face is not a myth, and we have no one to save us but ourselves… Commissioned by the Time & Tide Bell organisation; The UPG Team bring their distinctive performance-parkour language together with a vessel made of scaffold and a story told by a child to ask, in the face of rising sea levels, how we avoid having to choose who gets on the boat? On the Strandline is performed by the Emergent Ensemble – a group of five early career performers brought together in the time of Covid to survive the industry lockdown. Pink Zone – Behind Kirkleatham Museum
Whether you’re lost in the desert or working in an office we all need water. From Indra to Zeus to Thor & Niord, there are thousands of tales of those who bring water. Stories of mermaids, sea-monsters, wild rivers, spooky lakes – come join one of the UK’s best storytellers for magical stories to refresh the heart and minds of all the family! ‘Wit, wisdom & a voice like chocolate!’ Honor, Manchester ‘A storyteller so spell-binding it left me breathless!’ Divea, Delhi Giles Abbott started storytelling in 2000 after sudden and serious, but not total, sight loss in 1998 made reading impossible. He is the UK’s only professional blind storyteller and has performed for children, families and adults in festivals, theatres, arts centres, schools and more throughout the UK, in Europe, Africa and India. His storytelling is known for his commanding stage presence, flair for language and “a voice like melted chocolate”. Location pink zone
Dandyism is centuries old, and for the original African dandies, it represented male empowerment and post-colonial freedom. African Dandies appropriated the flamboyance of the 18th Century English & French gentlemen in defiance against slavery, referred to by some as a resistance movement. By the 1960s it had become a phenomenon, a way to preserve a legacy of African culture and challenge conventional male stereotypes. More recently Dandyism has encompassed the fight for gender equality by the Congo’s Female Dandies movement. Dandyism is a celebration of style and cool as well as a concern for humanism, gender and identity in our increasingly divided society. In this new performance work choreographer Patrick Ziza explores the Dandy’s fashion and style as an assertion of freedom, the evolution of this cultural phenomenon into a modern-day norm, and how it relates to exploring, respecting and valuing individuality in the 21st Century. Dandyism is flamboyance: dress sharp and present your best self. Choreographer Patrick Ziza moved to Gateshead from Rwanda as a teenager. As a choreographer he has developed his own style of movement, embodying the raw, unrefined energy and expressive dynamism of dances originating in Central East Africa. Location Pink Zone
Pulled by a mythical Phoenix the cart of curiosity emerges from the dust to seek out performance venues. Once it finds its space it rebuilds into a puppet theatre to tells tales of ecology and hope. Music for the show is by the Saltburn based ‘Phoenix Voices’ Community Choir. Like all of Whippet Up’s pieces Phoenix Rising is designed, built and performed with local people who find, or are referred into, Whippet Up for a wellbeing boost. Phoenix Rising is a family friendly performance suitable for all ages and is available as a stand-alone ‘pop-up’ show and also as a show with workshops. The workshops provide a chance for families to design, create and decorate new puppets that they integrated into the show. Walkabout (stopping in nursery blue)
Insectopolis swarms into Kirkleathham Art and science will combine as a special urban insect conservation zone arrives in Kirkleathham for the Festival of Thrift. Dancing with bees combines street theatre, music, games, science and education featuring performers from the Neighbourhood Watch Stilts International. Visitors will be able to meet and take selfies with a giant Bombus terrestris bumble bee, join in the waggle dance with giant honey bees, plant a special pollinator friendly flower and learn many extraordinary other things about insects, including all the things you can do to help them. The event aims to highlight the world’s recent 40-50% loss of insects and suggest what we can do to save and regenerate them. Paul Miskin, company Director, explained: “Recently many people have noticed the lack of dead insects on the windscreens of cars. We depend on the services of these small creatures for all our food and they are a crucial link in the chain of life that supports us. “Recent research by Nicholas Tew has shown that what people in cities and towns plant in their gardens, window boxes, and back yards and the products we avoid using can make a real difference. This projectt aims to show ways in which everyone can help get our beautiful world back on track and is supported by the Arts Council of England National lottery scheme and Creative Darlington.”
The fast fashion revolution has brought a vast choice of cheap clothes right to our doorstep – so where’s the catch? Well, worse-off garment workers, soaring use of virgin-plastic fabrics, mountains of textile waste… Already a new model eco-army are pushing back and disrupting the march of the fashion industry – second-hand is again first choice for many, clothing rental is about to boom and everything from pineapple husks to coffee grounds are being turned, like magic, into fabric. Welcome to the future! with: Lynne Hugill – Fashion Course Leader at MIMA School of Art & Design, Teeside University. Jade McSorley – Top Model and founder of the LOANHOOD fashion rental app. Neeraj Sharma – CEO of Daisy Chain and Stockton’s Charity Superstore.
A welcome return to the festival… Faster than a speeding puffin, more chocolatey than a chocolate labrador, descending from apes (if they are tall enough) Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers release your ears to play backgammon undisturbed. Tuba, piano, drums, ukulele, tickling and rubbing your senses into a fun stew. Enjoy yourselves, if you can; Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers are greater than you think.
Vinyl DJs playing the finest in old school soul funk and reggae. Neil has been djing for over 30 years at various bars clubs and festivals. He also has his own nights under the banner Back to Black. His latest booking has been for the Hardwick live festival in Aug where he played on the soul stage. See stage information for running orders.
