TWO sell-out Giant Jumperee shows by children’s writer Julia Donaldson helped bring a blockbuster 2017 Haslemere Festival to a triumphant conclusion on Bank Holiday Monday.

Fittingly it was a family affair, the author of The Gruffalo is married to Malcolm, brother of Hamish Donaldson, the festival chairman.

Monday’s grand finale followed a month packed with talks, concerts and shows that attracted many big names and helped to put Haslemere firmly on the map as a centre of art, sport and culture.

As part of this year’s festival, the town hosted the world premiere of a specially commissioned one-act opera of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, staged in Haslemere Hall on May 27 and May 28.

Commissioned by town-based Imagine That Productions, it was written by Haslemere composer Clive Osgood and starred singers of all ages trained by Haslemere Singing Studio and accompanied by the Waverley Ensemble, led by Ishani Bhoola and conducted by Michael Veazey.

Both shows on Saturday and Sunday were also sell-out performances, as was another festival ‘first’, the inaugural Haslemere Travel Literary Evening with a Dr Zhivago theme on May 18 (Turn to page seven for report and photo).

Taking centre stage at Haslemere Museum in that event was Anna Pasternak, great niece of Dr Zhivago author Boris Pasternak, who has just published Lara: The untold love story that inspired Dr Zhivago.

Downton Abbey producer Liz Trubridge, who is turning the book into a major six-part TV series was special guest at the event.

Another festival sell-out was a concert by international superstars violinist Alina Ibragimova and pianist Cedric Tiberghien at St Christopher’s Church on May 20.

Aptly entitled A Truly Electrifying Partnership, it was a rare opportunity to enjoy a joint performance by two soloists who have appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras in the intimate setting of the town church, and was made possible thanks to five local sponsors.

Haslemere’s biggest and best festival yet also helped to raise the profile of town fundraiser Haslemere Hogs, a limited edition of 60 life-sized fibreglass pigs that have been sponsored and decorated to raise money for former mayor Sharan Abeysundara’s four nominated charities.

TV stars Amanda Holden and Graham Norton are supporting the project as glitzy porkers Amanda HOGden and GraHAM SNORTon.

Haslemere Festival kicked off on May 12 and 13 with Grunters, Haslemere’s first pop-up restaurant, to help swell funds and other decorated pigs have hogged the stage at different events throughout the month.

“I would like to thank all the people who helped to put on this year’s festival,” Hamish said. “The quality was so high.

“Tony Goldman organised the classical concerts and he was in touch with Ibragimova. It was a big coup. He negotiated their appearance in Haslemere at the end of June last year. We have had some wonderful people at this year’s festival and our plans were finalised last November.

“I was really pleased with this year’s festival and I did go to most of it. It was all so good. There were three main threads - the evening concerts, the weekend family events, such as the Haslemere Classic Car Show and Little Lumpy, and the weekday talks.

“On the talks side, we had anniversaries of 2017 as a starting point for some. Roger Ward who gave the anniversary talk about Lawrence of Arabia had actually been to all the places in what is now Jordan to find any evidence of Lawrence.

“Military historian Rodney Atwood gave the anniversary talk about Jutland, the mightiest sea battle, and there were also anniversary talks about pioneering navigational clockmaker John Harrison, Jane Austen’s Persuasion and religious reformer Martin Luther.

“Thanks go to Ken Griffiths for Little Lumpy cycling sportive, Ishani Bhooli for all her classical musical support and Amanda O’Brien and Clive Osgood for the Haslemere premiere of a magical home-grown opera.”