Horsemen of the Knight are a team of professional stunt riders. If you think you recognise any of them then you probably do - regularly working in the Film and TV industry on productions such as; Game of Thrones, ITV's Beowulf, TV's Merlin, King Arthur, War Horse, Peaky Blinders, Sherlock Holmes, Guy Richie's King Arthur film, Victor Frankenstein and many many more credits are too long to list! The team leader rides regularly with the Devils Horsemen and Stunt Doubles in TV and films too. At Ancient Oak Fayre you will see Horsemen of the Knight perform a variety of stunts, tricks and, of course, jousting.
Famed for his wit, skill and humor, the fool is the highlight of any medieval event, using walkabout routines and stage shows to bind together the different parts of an event by turning strangers into friends through the universal language of laughter.
Enter DevilStick Peat, Medieval Jester & Festival Entertainer. A fool par excellence. Peat has been performing at Banquets, festivals and re-enactments for 30 years. During this time he has built up an amazing and unique set of comic magic and juggling routines specially designed to transport your spectators to a time when kings ruled, dragons roared, and the fool, with his wit and skill, had them all eating out of the palm of his hand.
Although Peat’s show has been specially designed with medieval events in mind he’s skill is such that it can and has proved to be a crowd drawing attraction at all types of events, including Europe’s biggest medieval events as well as some of England’s largest country fairs. Peat's show can and has worked just as well at small village festivals as it does at Glastonbury festival.
His show, “the complete fool” uses a mixture of authentic medieval skills, stage magic and the quick wit of a modern stand-up comic to bring you some of the very best family entertainment you’ll see anywhere.
When not performing his stage show, Peat can be seen strolling about your event using his various routines to both amaze and amuse members of the public, occasionally stopping to perform quick mini shows that leave the whole family feeling that he performed just for them. DevilStick Peat also has the perfect background for his show, in the form of his medieval encampment.
DevilStick Peat provides us with so much more than ‘jester jester’…… I mean just a jester! His authentic medieval encampment comprises of up to 4 period tents of various shapes and sizes and all the paraphernalia you’d expect to find in a jester’s camp. This not only makes an excellent back drop for his shows, but also adds to the public’s suspension of disbelief, and is manned (or should that read “womaned”) by his long suffering wife and fellow fool, Jester Dragonfly.
From Eastbourne in East Sussex, UK, they were founded in 2001 to perform at the Eastbourne Lammas Festival. They have gone from strength to strength since then and will play at the smallest of events to the largest of festivals and perform at over 40 events a year all over the UK and still perform at Eastbourne Lammas Festival to this day.
The Pentacle Drummers main livery is the green and red tatter coats and matching facepaint.
They also adopt medieval style attire for several medieval events , including England’s medieval festival at Herstmonceux and Tewksbury medieval festival.
For the Sussex bonfires (including the famous Lewes bonfire celebrations) they adopt a slightly darker look in keeping with the feel of those events. Their aim is to be colourful, energetic and to entertain.
Penny Stevens on violin and Les Woods playing guitar form a distinctive and powerful sound as they range through the world of original and roots folk/world music. After 12 years and with 6 albums released as a four piece band, Penny and Les are heading back out into the world as a duo; expect a varied mix of up-tempo instrumentals and fanciful songs: high energy and fun!
www.pennyless-music.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/pennylessfolk
The Watermill Wolves acting team have graced screen and print for many years, featuring in productions such as ‘Vikings’, ‘Ripper Street’ and ‘Penny Dreadful’, and in magazine features including ‘Vogue’ and ‘Marie Claire’.
The Watermill Wolves acting team are a specially selected pack of wolfdogs – carefully bred for many generations to be the ‘best of both’ – to retain the natural poise, power and elegance of the wolf, combined with the best social and trainable temperaments.
Several generations of Watermill Wolves have called the Sussex Centre home – they live as part of the family, alongside humans and even other small dogs.
For many years, under the guidance of their ‘mum’, behaviourist and trainer Natalie Lagstrom, they have taken part in a wide range of roles – from acting and modelling to conservation ambassadors and educators.
Most people have seen bird-of-prey demonstration, but The Falconry School's is somewhat different. Firstly, as the name implies, he uses a team mostly comprising experienced falcons. These are the most exciting of all the raptor families and the most dashing of the falcons is the peregrine, which is rarely seen in public displays. This is officially the world’s fastest living creature, which can attain speeds of well over 200 mph in a “stoop” or dive.
The Falconry School has numbers of falcons, including peregrines and by the use of both ancient falconry methods and modern devices and techniques he endeavours to show the glorious flying abilities of the falcon.
In addition, there is an educational side to the display, with entertaining information about individual birds, on the history of the sport and uses for falconry in modern times. The displays are also interactive, with adult audience volunteers being allowed to handle and parade the falcons, and children flying others from hand to hand within the arena in perfect safety.
We are delighted to announce that The Mermaid Tank will be coming to Ancient Oak Fayre for 2024!
Come and take a "shelfie" with our beautiful real life swimming mermaids in our portable 750 gallon mermaid tank.
A completely immersive and mesmerising experience for all ages:
Has your little one got a question they've always wanted to ask a real life mermaid? Now's your chance!
Watch the mermaids swim, perform tricks, and if you're super lucky, find some mermaid treasure for you at the bottom of the tank.
The Mermaid Tank will be holding a "best dressed" competition this festival with the chance to win a mermaid Tank official T-shirt- so be sure to find us on our socials and tag us in your pictures.
We can wait to SEA you all there!
Mermaid WaterDragon and Mermaid Lula xxx
The Mermaid Tank Official (Instagram)
The Mermaid Tank (Facebook)
Throughout the event, Saemarr will give demonstrations on the traditional names, meanings and use of runic symbols in Heathen magic and ritual, with a brief introductory description of the 24 rune Elder Futhark and its application in rune divination and Heathen magic.
As the founder of Viking re-enactment in the U.K, he also gives talks on Viking period weapons, demonstrating the main weapons of the Dark Ages and their practical use in Viking re-enactment including their use in today's combat performances. These have spread as a worldwide hobby from his beginnings with a small group in 1971.
Saemarr has studied both of these subjects extensively for many years and at the end of each performance he answers any questions to the best of his ability.
As a special all day activity Saemarr also demonstrates axe and javelin throwing!
Here is an excerpt from Saemarr's rune divination booklet...
The contents of this booklet are not intended to be a history of runic divination or a concise treatise on the subject. They are merely a basic introduction to the practice of rune casting and divining the staves according to the Germanic symbols known as the Elder Futhark, and a selection of related information aimed at helping beginners or those with an interest in this ancient, esoteric skill. The author, a recognised Goði (Priest) of Norse heathenism is a familiar name amongst many groups and individuals, including many Viking period re-enactors, who follow the original deities of our Folk and culture by observing the pre-Christian calendar festivals etc, and attending ritual gatherings throughout the year. Saemarr started studying runes and Norse heathenism around the very early 1970s, at the same time as, but unaware of, three other Heathen movements;
The Odinist Committee (U.K),The Asatru Free assembly (U.S.A) and the Asatruar Felaghið in Iceland.
These burgeoning revivals engendered a sudden literary phenomenon which sprung runes back into the public's attention, resulting in a flood of books on runelore, with its emphasis on Germanic Heathenism, as opposed to the well known traditions such as witchcraft and magic of Celtic Paganism.
For those of you interested in Runology or Viking weapons, Saemarr sells runic talismans, charms and sets of divination kevals. You will see a set of rune kevals and a casting cloth shown below and you can contact him and order through his website, saemarr.weebly.com.
Damian is on a musical mission is to showcase the Hammer Dulcimer and Hurdy Gurdy, and to improve their appeal to a broad audience. His performances in folk clubs and festivals are an important part of this mission.
His solo concerts are played mostly on the beautiful Hammer Dulcimer with some numbers played on the stirring Hurdy Gurdy, and include tunes and songs that he encourages audiences to sing along to. His playing fits into a broad Celtic style, encompassing many traditional numbers from Ireland and the British Isles, as well as his own compositions. He loves a good story song and is keen to show how the oral tradition works in songs by playing some less well-known versions of traditional folk songs.
Damian will enthrall your audiences with the unusual sounds of the Dulcimer.
His concerts are varied, in mood, tone and he loves to get the audience to sing along, to ask questions and even try out the instruments. Because he sings with both instruments, he connects with his audience, telling stories, explaining the context of each song, displaying his love and passion for unusual instruments.
He is keeping a tradition alive and you can support him in his endeavours.
https://www.damianclarke.co.uk/
Formed out of necessity in 2014 when several local wildlife rescues closed, Wild Touch wildlife rescue is a small, experienced rescue service run from our own home rescuing and rehabilitating wild and exotic animals. They are dedicated to providing the best possible care for any sick, injured and orphaned wildlife that come into their care, regardless of species, whether that means caring for it themselves or transferring it on to another facility. They work closely with a network of vets, specialist keepers and rehabilitators around the country to ensure each animal receives the treatment it requires.
It is essential that every animal that comes into their hands is given the highest quality care possible. If they do not have the correct facilities to cater for that species or individual properly then it will be transferred to somewhere that does. Wildlife rehabilitation is about the welfare of the individual animal and, successful or not, usually has little bearing on the rest of its species. Therefore every animal receives the same high standard of care, regardless of population or status. Common and “pest” species such as pigeons and corvids are treated in the same way as the rarer ones.
It is always their ultimate aim to return a wild animal to the wild. This release process is usually a long, complex procedure and must be done in exactly the right way, otherwise all the previous work gone into treating the animal is wasted. Again, if they do not have the appropriate conditions to do this properly, the animal will be passed on to somewhere that does. If the animal is not able to be released they must assess its future very carefully.
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