Children's 'otherworldly' vision transforms town

A trail of illuminated art and sound projections will "transform" Rotherham as part of its Children's Capital of Culture 2025 celebrations, its organisers have said.

The Otherham Winter Light Festival, which runs until Sunday, will feature a mix of large-scale projections, live street theatre and interactive workshops.

Organisers said the free event would bring to life an "otherworldly vision" created by children who were tasked with reimagining their home town.

Pete Massey, director of Yorkshire and northern economy at Arts Council England, said: "I can't wait to see the district transformed into a place that sparks the imaginations of children and inspires a future generation of artists."

The festival has been set up by Flux Rotherham, Children's Capital of Culture, the Imitating the Dog theatre company, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and writing charity Grimm & Co.

Flux Rotherham's programme director Helen Jones said: "We are excited to bring this free, world-class cultural experience to the heart of Rotherham as we begin our landmark year as the first ever Children's Capital of Culture.

"Rotherham town centre will be transformed into Otherham, a magical town where nothing is quite as it seems."

To create the ideas for Otherham, Grimm & Co, in partnership with Imitating the Dog, ran a six-week writing programme for young people, asking them to reimagine Rotherham as an "otherworldly place".

Simon Wainwright, co-artistic director of Imitating the Dog, said the children's ideas served, in turn, as inspiration for their projection designs.

"These creations will now light up buildings during the Winter Festival, turning the town centre into a breathtaking canvas of youthful imagination," he said.

The five main sites of the Otherham trail would be at Rotherham Minster in Church Street, Rise House in Vicarage Lane, Holy Ghost Tattoo Collective in High Street and the Cinema of Future Films in High Street, organisers said.

Alongside the projections, which would run from 16:30 GMT to 20:30 GMT, there would also be walk-about performances, art installations in Minster Gardens and family-friendly drop-in workshops.

Local businesses would stay open late to offer food and drink to those taking part, they added.

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