Circus skills and festival helped promote 'serious message' in Mansfield

Young people took part in juggling, diablo sticks, ribbon twirling, hula-hooping and other circus performance skills, when sessions were held on Saturday at the Old Library Theatre, on Leeming Street.

The activity was all part of the first ‘OneFest’ festival held in Mansfield from September 13 – 19.

The week’s festivities were a collaboration between the OneConversation and Ingenious Fools organisations, with funding from the Arts Council England.

One Conversation uses grassroots activism to help promote awareness and dismantle the stigma, discrimination and segregation that people with learning disabilities and autism face.

Ingenious Fools is an independent production company that works with clients to create comedy, spoken word and music performances. and the circus skills workshop was led by professional performers and entertainers from the Circus Hub organisation.

OneFest got underway with its OneWalk event, an accessible march designed, organisers said, to “give a voice and visibility” to learning disabled and autistic people.

Other events in the town also saw everything from a life drawing class, a friend-making workshop, recording a pop song, live, music including a brass band, stand-up comedy workshops, as well as art, theatre and social events.

TV celebrity the Lost Voice Guy Lee Ridley, who shot to fame in Britain’s Got Talent in 2018, also gave a comedy performance on Saturday night.

A spokesperson for the festival said: “The circus workshop was a big hit and provided a place where people could have a go at things they may not have tried before, such as juggling, diablo and hula hoops, there was lot of laughter.

“But it was just one part of the bigger events held at our very first OneFest which was a huge success.

"Although it all aimed to provide fun, the activities all had a serious message behind them; to help beat discrimination and stigma which is still faced in our society by people with learning disability and autism.

"The events were part of a campaign not only to help provide exciting, enjoyable activities for people with learning disability or autism to try new things, meet new people and make friends, but also to provide a space for the community to come together to share experiences and culture.”

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