'Tweedy' promoting Gifford's Circus in Stroud

We both had stalls today at the weekly indoor market in The Shambles, the oldest part of Stroud, where markets have been held for hundreds of years in a small open area between the church and the High Street.  There are also market stalls outside, in addition to the large and celebrated Farmer’s Market, which is held every Saturday a short distance away.

Helena popped out to a shop mid-morning and when she came back she told me to go to the High Street as ‘Tweedy’ was performing there. I nipped out quickly with my little camera to the end of the Shambles, and heard lots of laughter emanating from people gathered around a clown and a young child.

I squatted down and smiled as I watched and photographed Tweedy and realised that he and a few other performers were in town to promote the wonderful Gifford’s Circus. A few years ago the owners moved the whole circus business to a farm two miles out of the town centre on the top of the hill, where they over-winter. They gather again in the spring, erect their Big Top and start rehearsals before they take the circus on the road around the south of England. Their first and last shows each year are held in their field at the farm and I think today they were promoting the first shows iof the year.

Tweedy is a very well known clown who performs his own shows in the off season, and recently played at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham. He has been a key part of Gifford’s Circus for many years and is a big favourite of children. Today he had a young boy in fits of laughter as he played with him in the High Street. I decided not to blip them and instead am showing the finale of Tweedy’s act before he headed off further down the High Street for another session riding ion a tiny child’s tricycle. 

I blipped Tweedy in the Big Top a few years ago, where I wrote a bit more about this circus.