Message from Alistair Syme.            Cartoonists to get the wind up at                the Darwin Centre
              SHREWSBURY CARTOON FESTIVAL
      
      Drawing outstanding cartoonists to town
      Smile Cartoon Trail 1st - 30th April
      Workshops Friday 25th & Saturday 26th April
      Cartoonists Live in The Square Saturday 26th April
      With a Song in My Art Cartoon Exhibition 21st April -          17th May
      This year's theme is MUSIC
      PLUS
      
      Cartoonist and illustrator Cathy            Simpkins wants people to tune in to her quirky sense of humour            when she assembles a band of flatulent musical instruments at            Shrewsbury's Darwin Shopping Centre.      She will be              conducting a workshop showing children and adults how to                make the unusual sounding and fun gizmos out of drinking                straws, paper tubes and coloured-in paper.
      Trumpeting the tour              de force delights of her homespun orchestra she said: "I'm              sure passing shoppers will be pleasantly surprised. It's not              as odd as you might think. When we get a group of people              together bashing out a tune they sound remarkably good."
      It will be held                on the middle level of Darwin shopping centre, next to the                Mothercare store, on Saturday, April 26, from 10-11.30am.
      She said: "Everyone              who takes part gets to make a farting musical instrument and              we'll have pens and paints so they can decorate them in              whatever way they want. It's great, addictive fun, no matter              what age you are."
      A widely acclaimed              cartoonist and successful book illustrator, Cathy can't wait              to attend the annual Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival: "0h              I love it. It's the highlight of my year. I get to meet up              with so many old friends and fellow cartoonists and              caricaturists, there's no other festival quite like it in              the world."
      As well as Cathy's              musical workshop, the Darwin shopping centre, is also              hosting part of the festival's popular Smile Trail which              leads visitors on a guided route around the town passing by              exhibits of different cartoon art works. Some of them will              be displayed in the windows of temporarily empty shop units              at Darwin.
      Kevin Lockwood,              Manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping              Centres, said: “Shrewsbury is a very creative town and the              cartoon festival is a brilliant idea and one we’re glad to              help promote.
      “Cathy’s workshop              here in the Darwin Centre sounds like a lot of fun – it              brings a whole new meaning to the term wind instruments.”
      Cartoon festival              founder, Roger Penwill, of Ludlow, is delighted it has              inspired so many people. The 66-year-old had always wanted              the UK to hold an international cartoon festival and got              together with the local tourist office back in 2004 to help  launch the Shrewsbury              event.
      "It started off              very small and has just got bigger and bigger, with people              now visiting us and taking part from all around the world,"              he said. "It's great to see such local enthusiasm and so              many organisations, like the Shrewsbury Shopping Centres,              all keen to get involved and help further its success."
      Roger has had his              work featured in national newspapers and magazines and is              particularly known for his original cartoons based on the              problems people have with computers and digital technology.
      He said: "I worked              a little in IT before I became a cartoonist full time and              know how frustrated people can get with computers. That gave              me the idea and I've not looked back.”
      Roger will be among              the artists drawing on one of the big boards in the town              centre over the weekend.
      For more              information on the Shrewsbury                    Cartoon Festival and the full              programme, including details of the farting instruments              workshop at Darwin shopping centre visit the website: www.shrewsburycartoonfestival.com while for more on the shopping              centres go to www.shrewsbury-shopping.co.uk
       
       
      Ceidiog
      alistair@ceidiog.com
      www.ceidiog.com
      01824 703073
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