Attack of the Minibeasts!

Leominster's Corn Square was attacked on 27 May by insects made by Year Eight Earl Mortimer College students during market time! 

The students made the dragonfly puppets in lessons at school led by Andrew Purvin, director of The Fetch Theatre Company, based in Leominster. They made their puppets with bamboo frames, dressed with cellophane wings and bodies decorated with scraps of fabric to replicate the vibrant colours of real dragonflies. 

Earl Mortimer College principal, Alison Banner, said: "We have been so fortunate to work alongside Fetch Theatre who have offered something really different.

"Contributing to your local community is so important and I am very proud of the students who took part as well as Miss Price for her commitment to the project."

On the morning, the students met in the Secret Garden behind the TIC for a lesson in puppeteering, before heading out into the town with their own puppets as well as creatures that had appeared in The Fetch's Insect Safari theatre show.

The group swarmed through Corn Square as well as up Drapers Lane and down the High Street.

They also took a moment to terrorise the consultants working on another part of the HSHAZ scheme - asking the public what they think of Corn Square and what improvements they would like to see. The insects of Leominster presumably have one or two ideas about improvements they would like to see around town!

Why did this pop-up involve insects?

Insects are important! They are pollinators, cleaners, builders and food for other wildlife that we love. However, they are under threat and they need our help. Studies say that up to 40% of insect species are on the path to extinction. A 2019 UNEP report says we are losing the ‘little things that run the world.’ We need insects to survive!

What can we do to help?

It’s easy! Be a bit less tidy! Humans think that tidiness looks nice, but insects need a variety of plants for food and cover.

·       Don’t use pesticides                                  don’t cut back hedges severely

·       plant insect-friendly plants                      let your lawn grow

·       leave the fallen leaves                              leave piles of logs for them to hide in

Did you know?

·       Scientists estimate that insects make up to 90% of all species of animals on the planet and more than half of all living things.

·       Insects can be found in almost every habitat, from mountain ranges covered in snow to the hottest deserts on the planet.

·       Insects have been around for more than 350 million years, longer than the dinosaurs and flowering plants.

·       It takes bees about 10 million nectar-collecting trips to make one pound of honey. Bees can be taught how to play football, can add and subtract and recognise each other’s faces.

All photos by Richard Shakespeare