On Friday night, my family went to Denbigh Castle to watch a production of a Midsummer Night's Dream. If you've been to Denbigh Castle, you will have a good idea of the backdrop. Together with the idyllic setting, the theatrical company were truly wonderful. They managed to bring Shakespeare up to date such that even a total novice could become really engaged. Including members with physical disabilities, this was a revelation and after the show, I could only ponder why I'd never seen such an inclusive approach before. Each act passed to a different area of the castle and the audience willingly followed them in expectation of the next scene. The audience was family friendly with ages ranging from toddlers to old age pensioners.
When I discussed this with people I knew yesterday, most of them expressed disappointment that they hadn't even known about it. In a way, this ums up much of what is holding Denbigh back. If towns like Denbigh really wish to rebuild their ailing high streets, they first need to engage with their local population. If people from outside subsequently come in, so much the better. This was another example of a golden opportunity missed. The audience of 105 ought to have been at least five times larger. The castle is truly Denbigh's trump card and is played too infrequently. I believe it is the logical tool with which spotlight the town but it seems as though there exists a reticence to do so.
By contrast, we yesterday joined the throng from all over the Vale of Clwyd to attend the 6th annual No. 76 beer festival. This has been a brilliant idea on so many levels and the organisers deserve great credit for their foresight. Many village pubs in the Vale had hitherto been struggling, a picture all too familiar the length and breadth of the land. This festival has developed in to something of an annual pilgrimage for thousands of local people. It has thus served two essential purposes. It has given life blood to businesses upon which small local communities depend, and it has brought people together. If there was any unpleasantness yesterday, I didn't see it. Everyone was in great spirits and the atmosphere uplifting wherever you went. Regular single decker buses transported you from one to another and the weather just topped it all off. On a sublime day, pubs put on live music, hog roasts and a plethora of real ales. This was truly as good as it gets and served as a pointer for local economies all over the country.
If Denbigh as a town could achieve a fraction of this festival, the town would march from strength to strength. Either way, Shakespeare in a thirteenth century castle and a beer festival in the Vale of Clwyd have made this weekend one which will long linger in the memory.
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