Mad hatters make merry at Bury market

Bury St Edmunds' Market went mad for hats on Saturday as a community arts project came to a head – hundreds of heads really.

The mad hatters' parade and picnic was the finale of the Market Matters Project, held as part of the national Love Your Local Market fortnight.

It has seen a pop-up museum of market memories plus hat making workshops involving nine schools visitors to the Gatehouse Dementia Hub and residents at Stradbrooke Court Sheltered Housing, Cross Penny Court Sheltered Housing and Cornwallis Court Care Home.

On Saturday it all came together with another hat making workshop in the market during the morning followed by a parade from the arc, through the market to the Abbey Gardens for entertainment and a picnic.

Community artist Louise Gridley, who teaches at St Benedict's Catholic School and whose family has long market connections, organised the workshops and said: "It went really well and we had a super turnout."

She even enlisted St Edmundsbury's new mayor Margaret Marks to help in working a giant clock maker puppet, made by St Benedict's students for last year's parade.

The Hotshots majorettes led the parade and entertained in the gardens along with the folk group Celtam and solo trumpeter Noah Blythe.

St Benedict's pupils also did recitals of poems they had written, inspired by the market.

• More pictures in Friday's Bury Free Press.