Village pantomime to celebrate 50th anniversary

An amateur pantomime group is ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary and has been described by one of the first cast as a "lovely thing that can bring people together".

Judy Shone, who was in the very first production of the Bayston Hill panto said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to bits that we've got to 50 years."

She said this year's performance in the Shropshire village would be a repeat of the very first pantomime - Sleeping Beauty.

The anniversary would be extra emotional for her, because she recently lost her husband, Peter, and she said would be doing this year's pantomime for him.

The performer said there had been a long tradition of using Bayston Hill's memorial hall for an annual concert, before the pantomime began.

Then, 50 years ago, "somebody decided to do a pantomime and I'd been doing pantomimes with the Girls' Brigade and I was asked if I'd be in it and I said yes".

Appearing in that first production had been "very, very scary", she said, but she added: "I must have enjoyed it to have stayed as long as I have."

This year, her grandson will be taking to the stage and she said she hoped some of the younger performers would get the bug, because "It can only survive with youngsters coming in".

She said the pantomime had been a big part of her life, and that of her husband who made the sets.

Everything the pantomime uses is recycled, including the costumes which are made from unwanted curtains.

She gets donations left in her porch and said the costumes that are made from them are of a high standard.

"I do like it to be right," she said.

This year's pantomime begins with a show at 19:30 GMT on Wednesday and they continue through until Saturday, with the matinee already sold out.

Asked what was special about the pantomime, she said: "Everyone coming together and enjoying it and laughing and enjoying it, which you don't do very often now."

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