How would you like to be a wind charmer? It really is a bit of a breeze.
All you have to do is to join in a quirky community art project, called We Are Now.
As part of that project, wind charmers are gathering and recruiting new members at public events in the area.
Wind charmer portraits have started popping up around Dunstable, in cafes, shops and public spaces.
And it’s hoped hundreds of people will gather on Dunstable Downs at 2pm on Sunday, September 15 to celebrate the landscape and the wind.
But what’s a wind charmer, I hear you ask.
I’ll let arts charity Bedford Creative Arts tell you about all this – that’s the team which commissioned and is producing the project.
The team emailed me to say: “The wind from the Dunstable Downs has got lost in the town. During the summer months, the wind charmers walk around to catch the breezes that weave their way in and out of the town, confused in this maze of streets.”
They say the wind is “in some hidden places blowing slow and tired, in others, running around, agitated, playing with little girls’ hair.”
And they go on: “With long strips of mirrors attached from their back, the wind charmers start collecting the lost wind, and in return the wind makes them dance.
“At the end of the summer, when enough wind has been caught, the wind charmers meet on the Downs to take it back where it belongs, dancing to bring all the small breezes together into one strong wind.
“They then tie their strips to trees, benches, etc, for a whole new year of good wind and joy on the hills. We Are Now. Be part of the legend. Become a wind charmer.”
How can you resist? Dunstablians are working with artist Laurence Payot and other creative folk on We Are Now, “defining what is important and meaningful for us in Dunstable today,and inventing a new legend for the future”.
All sorts of organisations are joining in the project.
Meet wind charmers and create costumes and props at events including the National Play Day fun on The Square, Dunstable, 10am-3.30pm, on Wednesday, August 7; at the Inflatable Day, 12noon-4pm, Friday, August 9, Grove House Gardens; or at the Eid Festival, 12noon-5pm, Sunday, August 11, Dunstable Downs.
Facebook fans can find out more by searching for We Are Now Dunstable.
All I can say is, there’s only one cool way to arrive at the collective celebrations on the windy Downs in September. How? In a Ford Zephyr...
So The Mulberry Bush, in High Street North, Dunstable, has a “new” name – The Bird In Hand.
It’s now a pizza kitchen and bar, as we mentioned the other week, and has reverted to the name by which it was known for umpteen years.
Landlord Phil Aird says: “We’re going back to our roots – celebrating the pub’s history by bringing back the old and well-loved name.”
And he added: “We’ve retained the history of our traditional pub but stepped it up a notch with higher standards and service and a wide range of food and drink.”
I’ll drink to that. But why was it called The Bird In Hand in the first place? Drop me a line if you know, my email address is above and our postal details are on page 2.
One Bird In Hand is worth two in the Mulberry Bush...