Arts&Crafts
Local legend celebrated The Shropshire town of Whitchurch is honouring one of its local heroes this March by launching a new one-day festival in his name
A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go was one of a series of picture books by Caldecott published by F Warne
New York Times book critic and expert on children’s literature, will be flying in from New York to share his thoughts on Caldecott’s
“He inspired us not only to follow our dreams but to understand that giving up is never an option”
From Hey-Diddle-Diddle… the Dish running away with the Spoon
W
hitchurch is preparing to mark the works of an extraordinary local hero this month at the inaugural Caldecott Arts Festival. The family-friendly festival is set to honour the life and works of Randolph Caldecott, who from humble beginnings in Whitchurch in the mid-1800s went on to become one of the most renowned artists in his field in the world. His work has inspired generations of illustrators, including Beatrix Potter, the much-loved creator of Peter Rabbit. In fact, an original oil painting by Caldecott still hangs in Potter’s house, together with two prints from his picture books, Despite his family’s expectations for him to follow a more traditional career path, Caldecott was determined to become an illustrator and make his dream a reality.
Spreading the word
The celebratory one-day event takes place on Saturday 19th March, at locations across the town. It has even attracted the attention of the international arts community – American author Leonard Marcus, 106 SHIRE MAGAZINE | March/April 2022
works and will be linking live to the US as part of the event. Norma Raynes, chair of the festival committee said: “We are so excited to be bringing this inaugural festival to the people of Whitchurch, Shropshire and the Border counties. So many people aren’t aware of his wonderful work and we want to change that. “Caldecott inspired all of us to not only follow our dreams but to understand that giving up is never an option. His influence goes further than his illustrations and we are so happy to honour his life in this way. “There will be bookable events throughout the day such as illustration
Above: Norma Raynes, festival organiser Left: Froggy charms pretty Miss Mousey
and cartoon workshops, drawing competitions and art activities, as well as an exhibition of Caldecott’s work. It’s a hugely familyfriendly day out and we hope everyone will come along and enjoy all that the festival has to offer.” For details, email info@ caldecottfestival.org.uk or call 07900 051215.
