Lewes puppeteers celebrated World Puppetry Day on March 21

Hannah Hill from Shadow Cabinet Puppetry uses puppets to communicate with people who are nonverbal or prefer to communicate in other ways. She uses puppets as part of her sensory story workshops for people with learning disabilities. It can also be used to communicate one to one with people with complex needs or long-term mental health diagnoses.

Hannah started exploring puppetry 15 years ago and can now coach relatives and friends of people living with dementia to find ways to connecting with a loved one. If you'd like to see or experience her work contact her on: [email protected]

Celia Edmondson has worked with puppets for eight years after achieving a fine arts degree as a mature students.

She was a teacher and head of arts, theatre and literacy in her last school She also has four children of her own. It was visiting Japan with her daughter-in-law that inspired her most recent show. She said: "My show is small-scale suitcase theatre about nocturnal animals and their relations with the moon.

"I want to take a small theatrical experiment into schools and places where there is limited artistic exposure. At present I am doing it voluntarily so get in contact if you would like to talk or see a show." [email protected]

Finally WishWorks Puppets from Lewes are a husband and wife team who have been performing with puppets since 1990. They have had various funded projects including five years with the Natural History Museum in London, residency in a glass house at Kew and a long-standing relationship with the Railway Land. The also used to do Puppet Sundays in winter at Christ Church, Lewes. Their favourite shoes of all time were at Middle Farm Apple Festival where they used to run the children's area.

All promoted their community work as part of 'World Puppetry Day.

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Susan King

Senior Reporter

Sussex Express

Mobile 07976 800 195