Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival set for go ahead

Telford & Wrekin Council made the decision to go ahead with this year’s festival follows the success of the Torch Relay and feedback from residents, partners and businesses.

This year’s Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival will have a strong community and heritage focus complementing the Maws Heritage Festival event which takes place the following weekend.

Initial plans for the festival on September 22 will feature an arts and crafts market along The Wharfage in the centre of Ironbridge and a varied and engaging community events programme in Market Square – including performances by local bands and dance groups.

Local residents, schools and businesses will all be involved in developing the programme for the festival to ensure it remains a community event.

There will be a number of guided tours of the World Heritage Site to ensure a strong historic flavour to the event.

The festival will be concluded by a showpiece celebration including a light show and fireworks.

Councillor Arnold England, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Leisure and Well-being, said: “I am delighted that this showpiece event to celebrate the history of the Ironbridge Gorge and its status as a World Heritage Site will again be going ahead.

“We are delighted to work in conjunction with both the community and to promote the Maws Heritage Festival as part of a week long community and heritage celebration.”

Steve Miller, chief executive of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “There was clearly a strong feeling locally that the festival should go ahead and we are delighted to have been asked by Telford & Wrekin Council to run the operational side of the event.

“We are looking forward to another fantastic weekend of celebration in the Gorge and it will be a great way to end the summer after it started in such exciting fashion with the visit of the Olympic Flame at the end of May.”