Almost 200 children from schools all across Tewkesbury have been making glowing lanterns which will adorn Tewkesbury Abbey grounds during the Tewkesbury Festival of Lights this week.

Schoolchildren worked with local willow artist Zoe Bates to create 120 decorative lanterns made from willow, covered in tissue paper and decorated with geometric coloured tissue paper in a set of colours that represent the colours of stained glass.

The coloured tissue shapes are positioned on the lanterns so that they do not overlap with the white showing beneath, acting like the lead found on stained glass windows, like you find in the Abbey and within the illuminations of the Festival of Lights.

The lantern-making workshops, held over the past few months, were created to engage schools and their families with the upcoming Tewkesbury Festival of Lights - with artist Peter Walker offering advice on the designs of the lanterns themselves.

Participating schools included Tewkesbury School, Alderman Knight School, Ashchurch Primary School, Carrant Brook Junior School, Deerhurst & Apperley C of E Primary School, Mitton Manor Primary School, Northway Infant School, Queen Margaret Primary School, Tewkesbury C of E Primary School, The John Moore Primary School, Tirlebrook Primary School, Tredington Primary School & Twyning School.

Weather permitting, the lanterns will be on display in the Abbey grounds during the Tewkesbury Festival of Lights.

The very first Tewkesbury Festival of Lights is an incredible immersive light and sound show taking place at Tewkesbury Abbey. It will tell the unique story of the town as well as celebrating the 900-year history of the Abbey and the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury.

The Tewkesbury Festival of Lights will feature light projections and will take place inside the Abbey between Tuesday 2nd and Friday 5th November at 20-minute intervals between 6pm - 10pm.

The Festival of Lights has been organised by 2021 Tewkesbury Together, a community-led committee leading the organisation of celebrations of the anniversaries in the town. Due to COVID-19, 2021 Tewkesbury Together has focused celebrations around the anniversary of the consecration of the Abbey in October 2021.

Tickets to the Tewkesbury Festival of Lights are priced at £10.50 for adults, £8.50 for children aged 3 - 17, under 3' go free, and will be available to book for 20-minute segments from 6 - 10pm each evening between the 2nd and 5th of November.

Tickets are available from: www.tewkesburyfestivaloflights.co.uk  or can be booked by calling The Roses Theatre Box Office on 01684 295074.