World War One peace project to visit Dewsbury

People are being invited to take part in a modern commemoration as part of a national project to mark the end of World War One.

Dewsbury is the only Yorkshire town to host the giant art work as part of a national Arts and Heritage Lottery project, to mark 100 years since the end of World War One.

Paper Peace is a mobile artwork touring the country showing a huge 14ft tall peace poem.

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It will call at Dewsbury tomorrow (Wednesday, November 14), and people are invited to go along and join in the commemorations throughout the day.

Produced by outdoor arts specialists Emergency Exit Arts with poet Robert Montgomery, and working with national heritage partners, The Peace Museum, Bradford, the giant art work mounted on a transporter will arrive after its launch in London for its first stop in Dewsbury.

It will be seen by thousands of people as it travels along motorways across the UK before arriving in the town.

Creative Scene, the Arts Council England project based in Dewsbury, has brought the project to the town working with national partners City Arts, Nottingham, B Arts, Stoke-on-Trent, and Vivacity Peterborough.

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You can join in the Paper Peace project commemoration at Dewsbury Market between 9.30am and 2.30pm with a ‘Peace Tea’ where you can make paper birds to tell stories of kindness. The Peace Poem will remain there until 11.30am.

Follow the Peace Poem to Dewsbury Town Hall at 11.30am and help to build a commemorative poppy. The Peace Poem will remain there until 4pm

Then from 5.30 pm poet Afshan D’Souza will be hosting a special peace themed open-mic poetry evening. All poets, writers, poets, and lovers of language who have something to say about peace are invited along for this free event.

It’s A Word Thing: Peace, Poetry and Pizza will take place at Blazed, above The Cocoa Lounge on Northgate, Dewsbury.

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Vicky Holliday, Creative Producer at Creative Scene, said: “This is just the start of a year long project. We’ve selected 10 young adults from Kirklees to be trained to work towards a 2019 finale which will which will transform town centres next year.

“They will learn new skills and create their own commission based on the heritage of the are, inviting communities to add their contributions to create new large-scale professional artworks based on the stories unearthed.”

Find out more about the day’s activities at http://bit.ly/peacepoem