Join St Benedict’s students to fly the flag for Bury Market

Six giant puppets will be paraded through Bury St Edmunds town centre on Saturday as a finale to a joint school and market art project.

The puppets – five linked to Bury’s market and one of St Edmund – have been made by 170 year eight students from St Benedict’s Catholic School under the guidance of artist in residence Louise Gridley, whose brother Darren Old has a card stall on the market. Each puppet is the work of one class.

Louise said: “We are inviting all members of the public to parade with us and wave flags. There are free flag-making workshops available on the market.”

The flag making sessions are from 10am to 3.30pm today (Wednesday) and 10am to 1pm on Saturday.

St Benedict’s students have also been running their own craft stall on the market selling ceramics, tie-dye T-shirts, macrame keyrings and other items they have made themselves. They are outside HSBC today.

The project coincides with both the Bury Festival and the national Love Your Market campaign fortnight.

Louise said: “It is part of the year long partnership between myself, as St Benedict’s Artist in residence, and St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s partnership ‘The Market Project’.

“The Market Project will culminate in a two-week exhibition at Market Cross Gallery [formerly Smith’s Row] from 4 to 17 July where all outcomes will be exhibited.”

Projects are supported and sponsored by Arts Council England, the borough, OurBuryStEdmunds, the market traders and Tesco.

The parade gathers on Angel Hill and will move off at about 2pm on Saturday.

Louise added: “We hope to repeat puppet parade next year, or similar project to promote our market town and provide additional art-based opportunities for young people to engage with their surroundings and community.”