New Burton market is christened in style

What an amazing event the PINT Arts Festival Craft and Artisan Market was in Burton-on-Trent yesterday.

Organiser Alistair Kennedy deserves a medal as he powered through the day having had just 40 minutes sleep because on Friday night he was among those taking part in Burton YMCA's Sleep Out. And let's not forget Burton Town Centre Management and The Making House who also helped make yesterday such a great success.

There was a great range of quality stalls selling unusual and beautiful gifts and cards, cakes, chocolate, chutneys and jams, clothes and jewellery - the list went on and on. The event was superbly well organised and promoted and I hope it bodes well for the future success of Burton's traditional market stall holders when they take over those new pitches on Station Street which we christened yesterday.

The Burton Calendar Girls had a great day. We met some lovely people and had lots of support. Here are Carol and Dawn during their shifts.



Dawn and me, Heather, Karen and Katie, Tilley and Bethan were splitting our time between the stall and The Brewhouse where the set crew had a busy day building mountains, a convent and the residence of the Von Trapp family ready for tomorrow's opening night of Little Theatre Company's The Sound of Music.

Carol will be the one organising our big calendar selling operation at every performance of the show - so there's plenty of time to come down to The Brewhouse any night this week and buy a calendar and chat with Carol about our calendar girl experience. Now, it's back to the Brewhouse again for a Sound of Music double dress rehearsal. See you again soon!

New places to buy your Calendar Girl calendars

Thanks to all the Burton creatives who supported us by buying calendars at this week's meeting of Outline - a free networking group for those working or volunteering in the creative industries in and around East Staffordshire.

Guest speaker at the meeting was Alistair Kennedy of the Burton Creative Network - who is masterminding the PINT Contemporary Arts Festival which takes place in Burton Upon Trent during October and November.

Venues across the town, including 107 Station Street, the National Brewery Centre, and a number of pubs will host a range of events and exhibitions during the festival. The aim is to break down barriers and get the public involved with art that is honest, warm and unpretentious.

Performers will include Sinai Theatre - a new company featuring our own 'Miss April', Hannah Mason.

We are hugely grateful to Alistair for offering us the chance to boost the funds we raise for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research by selling our calendars at a Craft Fair and Artisan Market being held as part of the Pint Arts Festival in the pedestrianised part of Station Street on Saturday November 10.

Also at the Outline meeting was Anna Roebuck, who runs The Making House in Winshill - a gem of a place that is still a well-kept secret to many townspeople. The Making House, at 50 Bearwood Hill Road, hosts regular arts and crafts workshops and exhibitions and has a wonderful gift shop selling unusual and beautiful cards and gifts. Anna also runs Bags 2 Riches, a business making Fair Trade jewellery, lights and artwork created from recycled plastic bags. We are delighted that Anna has offered to stock our calendars in her gift shop which is open from 10am to 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

We will continue to update the page on this blog that lists all the places where you can buy a calendar.