WHAT do you think is special about working or living near the River Parrett? Have you a memory, thought or picture of the river?

Somerset County Council’s Libraries Service and Theatre Mélange are urging local residents to share these in a one-of-a-kind creative community project.

The ‘Out of the Mouth of the Parrett’ project launched four months ago with Theatre Mélange, a company well-known for producing innovative public events celebrating particular places.

Theatre Mélange has been working with local communities from the mouth of the River and into the rural heart of the county, to create a vibrant portrait of this unique location as seen through the eyes of the people who live and work there.

So far more than 300 people have shared their reflections of life in and around the river at Bridgwater, Langport, Martock and South Petherton Libraries, using Theatre Mélange’s ‘Willow Wall’.

Public activities continue to take place at these four libraries and in community venues.

Theatre Mélange hopes to create a vibrant multi-media production of this unique location, in March 2017, seen through the eyes of local people.

Bridgwater Library will be transformed using light, sound and film to tell the river’s story – past, present and future.

The project team hopes to see still-more residents visit them to share their memories at Martock Market on Saturday, October 8 between 10am and 1pm.

The comments of people’s real-life stories will be interwoven using digital media to display the distinctive sights and sounds of life in this extraordinary landscape.

Cllr David Hall, Somerset’s Lead Member for Libraries, said: “As a Burnham boy who grew up in and around the River Parrett, I think this is a fantastic idea for a community project.

"Theatre Mélange has a brilliant reputation for helping communities cultivate and interpret their local stories, preserving them in creative ways, and we count ourselves very lucky to be working with them.

"I would encourage as many Parrett residents as possible to take part – I am excited to see how the finished project will look and sound.”

To keep up to date with how the ‘Out of the Mouth of the Parrett’ project is progressing, join us also on Facebook and Twitter via #parrettsmouth and on Twitter at @MelangeECHO and @SomersetLib or follow the Parrett blog at www.somerset.gov.uk/parrettsmouth

ENDS