The Gateway Academy is celebrating its first Welsh Eisteddfod festival. The Eisteddfod, a festival that takes place across Wales on a yearly basis celebrates cultural identity and achievement in subjects and in the performing arts, the Gateway’s subject specialism.
The Gateway Academy is passionate about its international links and what better to bring the Welsh festival to Tilbury.
The two-week festival will be made up of off stage and on stage events. Each subject will set its pupils a task or challenge in which to complete. Entries will be collected and points awarded to each pupils for entering, 1st, 2nd and 3 prize winners will be awarded points to the respective colleges.
This two week festival will culminate in the onstage events.
The onstage events include students competing in college groups in all areas of the performing arts including Drama, Music, Dance and Literature. For example Blue college will enter for the solo competition, dance and drama. This onstage competition will see the chairing ceremony of the poetry competition, another strong tradition of the Eisteddfod festival.
The ideas is that it is a whole school event where they are all working together, competing for their college colours and celebrating achievement and overcoming adversity.
Am I missing something here? Celebrating a Welsh festival in Tilbury? Is this for real or is it April 1st come early?