Latest news with #TheTeddyBear'sPicnic
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bears, bunting, and Bible stories: Ballinamallard's unique teddy bear festival
The quiet village of Ballinamallard was bustling today (Friday) with excited visitors attending the much-anticipated Teddy Bear Festival. Inside Magheracross Parish Church, colourful bunting adorned the walls, and beside each church pew stood an exhibit, a Bible story brought to life through teddy bears. Paws for thought: Bears bring bible to life in Ballinamallard From bears studying the Bible to reenacting the Christmas story, communities across Fermanagh have united to create this remarkable festival, featuring almost 400 bears. The festival includes 28 installations, one of which is displayed in Ballinamallard's Archdale Hall: The Teddy Bear's Picnic, created by the Ballinamallard Craft Class. At the Archdale Hall, tea served on delicate tea sets and cakes accompanied by pasties will be available for festival attendees. One of the displays features a large bear donated by the Bishop of Clogher, the Right Rev. Dr Ian Ellis, covered in an array of bear-themed ties provided by hotelier Joe Mahon. The Teddy Bear Festival was organised by Valerie McMorris and her husband, Howard McMorris, and Rev. Lorraine Capper. With the support of people and organisations across the Fermanagh community. The festival was officially opened by the Right Rev. Dr Ian Ellis, accompanied by a performance from the Ballinamallard Primary School choir and a live piano recital by Ruth Coulter. Leading the choir was Principal Christina McEldowney. The children sang Teddy Bears' Picnic, The Bare Necessities, and Seek Ye First with a spiritual twist, enhancing the atmosphere of the event. The festival will be open from Friday through Sunday, featuring many musical performances throughout the weekend, including the Silvertones Male Voice Choir, who will close the festival on Sunday at 5 pm. For more information on the teddy bear festival, visit the Magheracross Parish Church Facebook page:
BBC News
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Coventry concert celebrates man's 50 years of composing music
A concert will celebrate a Coventry music teacher's 50 years of composing in the Ramskill from Finham has arranged and composed music for Songs of Praise, Aled Jones, and Russell Watson, as well as lots of local music includes approximately 200-300 arrangements for Songs of Praise."The great thing about writing for Songs of Praise you always know professional instrumentalists are going to play the parts you've written, and will play them perfectly, so the satisfaction in that is great," Mr Ramskill said. Mr Ramskill moved to Coventry from Leeds in 1975, when he got a job at the Coventry School of Music, which eventually became a centre for performing arts before joining Coventry composer built up his body of work through his teaching."Part of it is because I had to write music for the students sometimes," he told BBC CWR."You have a group of instruments, well there's no music actually been written for that particular group so you set about writing or arranging something."In Coventry in the 70s and 80s and early 90s there were lots of youth orchestras and bands and choirs and they were always looking for new music, so I was always happy to supply and develop my style based on that."He joked: "I must apologise to my wife and family for spending so long in the study composing." 'It was a big deal' It was a surprising turn of events that led to him composing for Songs of Ramskill had been asked to write an arrangement of The Teddy Bear's Picnic for the Coventry Youth Orchestra in 1989, by conductor Brian Chappell."He said I want you to go to town and make it a big deal," Mr Ramskill said."It was an elaborate arrangement with references to all kinds of different music. Wham got in there somehow. So it was a big deal."Songs of Praise conductor Paul Leddington Wright was in the audience at one of the performances, as his two daughters played in the orchestra, and asked Mr Ramskill if he wanted to compose for the on why Songs of Praise kept asking him to compose more arrangements, Mr Ramskill said: "Because I didn't have a church background I think they liked that I had a slightly novel approach to arranging hymns."The concert will take place at Drapers' Hall on 23 March at 14:00 GMT. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
