Lantern Festival

Well Debs, you'll be sorry missed this one. Bus to train station, train to Leeds, bus to Hyde Park Corner, already in the dark, walk up to City of Leeds School, back out in muggy misty, slightly
drizzly. Debs, I'm trying to make you feel better! It was ace! Damp and dark but warm, and gloriously autumnal. Here we are at the bottom of the school drive, crossing Woodhouse Street:

The Lantern Festival march was the brainchild of Jill Wood, headteacher of Little London Primary School. Originally a walk around Little London and ending up at their school, this year five primaries [Blenheim, Brudenell, Little London, Rosebank and Quarry Mount] joined together and all marched to Woodhouse Moor, Hyde Park and then on up to City of Leeds School.




Now this is not the first time Sparrows and Robins [citywide and City of Leeds steelbands] have played for the Lantern Festival. Here's three pics of us from previous years. And some lanterns before and after the march.

The first time we joined the march, as you can see from the picture above where Joe and Jenner have matching hair styles, it was daylight. It was nice being able to see, but I still walked into the concrete bollard. Next time it was dark, but playing pan de neck slows you down and when we came out of the graffiti tunnel we couldn't find the rest of the marchers.

This year it was just lovely, and so moving especially when, out of the darkness we saw the primary schools moving across Woodhouse Moor, and up Woodhouse Street to meet up.

Lastly I dragged our local MP, Hilary Benn into the pans for a quick Sparrows and celebrity photo. Hilary's getting used to it. In fact these are the very same instruments he stood next to at the Woodhouse Festival in Year 2000. Although the players have changed. Hilary and I are the same. We have have just got greyer.