Heart of the Dragon Wales

• Dragon Story pilgrimage around Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire sacred sites starting from the castle. Touring a dozen storytellers..along the River Teifi on a raft, following the route the Dragon was swept out to sea etc. 2000
• Storytelling events and performances on castle site with visitors and groups inc 2003/4/5
  Telling the Dragon stories regularly to many hundreds of visitors to Castell Henllys Celtic Iron Age Fort
• Workshop with participants writing their response to the story and a performance in the evening as part of the Wordzwork Writing Festival 2004
• Different versions of dragon stories from this festival published in Carmarthenshire Life
• Dragons Blood..(Pamela Gaunt and Maggie Nicols) performance in Newcastle Emlyn weaving song, mythology and historical ballads as part of the local peace and justice groups programme 2005
• Dragon Storytelling at Newcastle Emlyn Junior School 2004/5
• Spiritual pilgrimage visit to the castle site and river ..blessings of dragons blood in hand painted glass bottles etc
• Meetings with local Community Artists and Voluntary Arts Wales to develop the concept of the festival Autumn 2005 led by Annette Ecuyere Lee and Pamela Gaunt
• Presentation of idea to members of Town Council, Chamber of Commerce,Bro Menter Teifi, Scouts, Local History Group (Hanes Emlyn) Haydn Jones , Councillor. Jan 2006-
• Front page article on Carmarthen Journal Jan 2006 to announce the idea of the festival
• Scouts make Dragons Nest at weekend camp with Dragon discussion afterwards
• Open Day Emlyn Arms Hotel…with two local choirs, slide shows, display board, appearance of Dragons Nest, book display, attended by Mayor, and around one hundred and fifty members of the public…collecting names and contacts of interested support. March 2006
• Film made of the above
• Monthly meetings of formed steering group with input from CAVS and CAVO
• Debbie Howlett joins Pamela and Annette as Executive Committee of Heart of the Dragon
  Structure of organisation emerges with Steering Group and volunteer members
• Attending Funding Day Fayre. Positive responses from Heritage and others
• Constitution Finalised
• Funding support for community involvement offered from Social Risk and Miltir Swgar Seedcorn for small setting up grand available….grant applications to be filled in
• Story Hunt…Twelve Line Story of Newcastle Emlyn displayed along town centre
• Entry forms available from schools, shops, post office
• Interest, support and involvement from shopkeepers, Rotary Club, six local schools, Urdd, Attic Players, local artists, Coracle Museum, local choir and musicians.June 2006
• Over forty entries to Dragon Story Hunt….and over a hundred people came to…..
• June 22nd 2006 ….election of twelve winners Protectors of the Dragons Nest by mayor…talk on history of castle by Hanes Emlyn.and all other story finders( twenty eight of them) elected as Guardians of the Dragons Story.
• A call to the Dragon was echoed from the top of the castle and a VERY IMPORTANT MYTHOLOGICAL REBIRTH BEGINS!!!
• A Dragons Egg was discovered in a coracle floating on the river behind the castle…
  The Dragons return is promised!!
• Egg in nest in shop window to be guarded and tended by Protectors…press photo and article in Teifi News
• Performance of Dragons Blood..at Castell Henllys live filming and recording made
• Attended community groups meeting….interest expressed from HUTS (training centre for people with mental health difficulties) and Aikido group offer to perform Dragon Aikido demonstration in festival
• Meeting with Newcastle Emlyn Attic Players (local amateur dramatic group)
  They express interest in devising a new performance for the festival and opening the Attic Theatre to the public as part of the event.
• £1,000 seedcorn for initial setting up awarded by Miltir Swgar
• Logo and design created by local designer who has an environmental award
• Wales Arts International fund Debbie and Annette to go to Poland to research the six years of Dragon Festival in Krakow
• Before our visit, Groteska Theatre company invite us to join the European partnership of Dragon Parade (see attached)
• The Dragons Egg grows! Several press releases…
• Visit to Krakow (see attached)
• Town open meeting hosted by Hanes Emlyn..local history group…showing of Polish dragons Festival DVD
  Local community artist secures funding to work with vulnerable adults to make a metal dragon sculpture to be shown at the Heart of the Dragon Festival
• Small World express interest in designing dragon for festival
• National Woollen Museum expresses interest in participation
• Debbie revisits Krakow to finalise arrangements for late January European workshops with representatives from Dublin, Prague, Poland and Portugal.
  Planning and booking of venue and invitations for over sixty members of the community to come to the European workshops to learn comparative mythologies
• Creative Mwldan express interest in creating community film
• Awards For All application successful. Almost £5000 funding secured for introductory community workshops in early 2007
• Prone comes into Heart of the Dragon with their skills in marketing/publicity and community and cultural regeneration
• Sophie Heddaway (Arts in Education Officer for Carmarthenshire and Ceridigion) is given the bilingual info leaflet for distribution to over two hundred schools
• Merlin Youth Theatre juniors (Carmarthen) express interest in taking part in festival.
• Plaid Cymru MP expresses interest and support in festival.
• All research, costing, timetabling, planning for coming year and a half completed for Heritage Lottery funding application completion . Provisional discussions with workshop leaders, performers etc
• National Museum of Wales expresses interest in helping with promotion of Festival
• Victoria Night ..The egg is processed through town (followed by a dragon) and members of the public make Christmas wishes of what they want born into the world.
• January ’07 Two day European exchange, fifty members of the community see Irish, Welsh, Polish storytellers and make screens, music, workshops on storytelling ending in enactment of Last Dragon
• February Talks, meetings, open evenings, part of Newcastle Emlyns visioning day
  Invites to steering group throughout town
• March Growing egg travels to St Patricks Dublins Festival, European dragon flags are begun
• Community workshops include scouts 100th anniversary, schools, youth clubs, etc
• Awarded Heritage Lottery Grant almost £50,000 for Festival, book, film , website, story CD etc
• April Proclamation to All Dragons Of All Lands from the castle.
• Ysgol Y DDwylan process their newly made 26ft Dragon with Blaen porth Male Voice Choir, Knights Templar and Alchemy dragon puppets.
• Last Dragon Script written by Shann Honey especially for the festival.
• May ’07 Over 650 community participants have heard the story of the Last Dragon and over twenty groups making dragons to join procession…including schools, youth clubs, home for elderly, in Ceridigion and Carmarthenshire
• June ’07 Travel Giant Egg to Krakow, as part of the towns 750th city and Dragon Festival
  Egg on parade and Polish TV interview. Newcastle Emlyn announced as partner Dragon Parade to over 600,00 people. More European Dragon flags created.
• Rehearsals begin for Attic Players, community music and dramatic re-enactment groups
  Community participation in dance and choir pieces from local schools
• Giant Metal Dragon completed by Tony Wooman and adult special needs group …
• Willow Dragon made with rural crafts workshops and trainings in forest.
• Programmes, leaflets and advertising throughout area and on Radio Ceridigion
• Local Chamber of Trade create shop window dressings, and film crew interview traders, community groups etc.

Heart of the Dragon Festival July 7th and 8th

SATURDAY

• Medieval fayre attracting stalls and generating income for local businesses, rural crafts and community groups,
• Re-enactment group showing historical importance of Owain Glandwr and national resistance to occupation,
• Procession through town to show dragons made throughout Carmarthenshire and Ceridigion with over seven hundred participants involved
• History exhibition of history of castle and the importance of Dragon on Welsh flag
  Storytelling and music to establish mythological importance of Death of Last Dragon, from oldest
• Ancient Mesopotamian Dragon mythology, to Merlin and PenDragons and connection to land and environment
• Childrens activities making of dragon puppets, wings, costumes, dragons treasure, etc.
  Dragon firesculpture to honour and remember all battles and loss of lives in local, national and
  international history

SUNDAY

• Portuguese Theatre Company the international legends are linked
• Dragon Picnic
• Birth of First New Baby Dragon of Wales

AROUND THREE THOUSAND VISITORS TO THE FESTIVAL…TRIPLE THE TARGET WE HOPED FOR…..COMING FROM ALL OVER WALES AND FURTHER AFIELD

July 2007…making of documentary film by volunteer and professional crew….

Preparations for commemorative book, website, books, education packs and CDs to be made as part of Heritage Lottery programme

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