Home on the Range

Home on the Range

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When the extraordinary Joel Hicks, actor, photographer, extreme athlete and fundraiser wanted to add to his skills , we were delighted to visit his 14 acre homestead in the rolling countryside of Leicester and gave him a day to remember of whip cracking, knife and axe throwing, fire eating and fie whip cracking. We then worked on those to a performance level so that he can spread the joy with his charity foundation http://www.alwayswithasmile.com/ 

A full range of circus , cowboy, and "more danger" workshops are available for individual and groups please see here for more details or phone 07875 826773 or email ahandfulofhats@gmail.com 

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Watch him in action : 

Fancy being a Dinosaur for us?

Fancy being a Dinosaur for us?

Well , I may not be in the first spring of youth, but there's no reason to make a point of it! I thought when Ruth from the BBCs Natural History Unit asked me , but when she explained, I had to say Yes! 

Especially as it meant working with the legendary TV presenter and adventurer Steve Backshall on his latest programme #DeadlyDinosaurs. The theory is that the mighty Diplodoccus may have used its gigantic tail as a whip like weapon. Could Steve be taught to crack a whip like a dinosaur and test it's destructive power? With up to five cameras in use including a high speed Dragon look out for the edition in April next year , we had fun, Steve had fun , Dippy had fun. Thanks Ruth.    

Brighton Bulldog Picnic

Well it was actually Lavant but every year the Bulldog Rescue and Rehousing Society hold an annual fundraising Fete and we were delighted to be asked to support this noble cause.

With bull dogs, pug and Frenchies as far as the eye could see Charlie Bubbles was kept busy making bulldogs, flowers, swords, teddy bears, and designer dogs for the happy campers 

"Here be Dragons!"

Captain Bloodknock manned the Recruiting Office to see who wanted to join the 3rd Battalion The Royal Dragonaires!. He put them through their paces to ensure they were brave enough, strong enough and pretty enough to help guard this proud nations' Dragons.

Two fun shows were finished off by assisting the talented Mr Russell Wells in a Dragon Balloon Modelling Workshop that saw hundreds of children and adults alike making the longest mobile dragon sculpture in Wales. What fun was had!  The Dragons Tail of Fire! The Popadum Machine Gun, The Sword Fight of Doom! The Dragon Egg and Spoon Race , " How to call a Dragon" The Dance of a Thousand Dragon Tails! were just a few of the unique parts of this especially written show for Margam Parks Dragons Quest Day           

“Brilliant show at Margam Park today, the children loved it, especially the whip of fire! ”
— Richard James Allen

Wowing them in Worcester!

A wonderful workshop of wonders in the wilds of Worcester saw A Handful of Hats working with that esteemed corporate circus entertainer Thomas Trilby to deliver a day long jamboree of juggling, stilts, spinning plates, hat manipulation, diablo and a downright joyous day of fun .   

Captain Bloodknock goes potty at Ponty Lido!

Celebrating the 90th birthday of The National Lido of Wales saw Captain Bloodknock playing out the role of the Lidos' very first Baths Supervisor.. (which was quite appropriate and even funnier as Peter taught a number of the pools' existing managers whilst he was the senior sports management lecturer at Barry College :-) ) Dressed in his finest, he entertained the queues all day with period banter, stiff warnings about their behaviour and appalling dress sense....  plus a bit of magic and balloon modelling he learnt on his travels.. dontcha you know! He even took the opportunity to visit his old regiment, though why the chaps thought it was a laughing matter was beyond him! 

Circus Pony Workshops in Pontyclun

Circus Pony Workshops in Pontyclun

The local community have recently revived an old tradition of a traditional Village Fete in the popular hamlet of Pontyclun and have added some original twists and additions that have proved very popular. Dog shows, Childrens Games, craft burger kitchen and german sausage stall, fairground rides, picnics, a wonderful range of musical entertainment, side shows and stalls of unique local produce plus of course our very own A Handful of Hats Circus Workshop of Wonders with bi-lingual tutors and unique activities and circus skills. .   

“The children and adults had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed your quality entertainment and unique teaching style ! :-) Thank you so much and can we please book you for next year? ”
— Thomas Smith Attraction Co-ordinator

"Let's go fly a kite! "

Porthcawls Summer Carnival is renowned for its' colourful Parade and it was an honour to be asked to head up this years celebration of Musical Entertainment with Flying Officer Kite and his Magnificent Musical Magical Bubblicious almost Flying Machine.  

The parade which lasts an hour and runs along the coast was topped of by a very well attended Circus Workshop at the Carnival Grounds , made all the better by a young lady who joined us last year, was so inspired by that years workshop, she promptly bought herself a unicycle and taught herself how to ride it,. we added to her skills with teaching her four ball juggling, plate spinning, hat manipulation and poi.. a happy young lady ...     

Cowboys in Cornbury! The Wild West comes to Woodstock!

Cowboys in Cornbury! The Wild West comes to Woodstock!

Pecan Petes' Wild West  Show and Wandering Workshop Show of Wonders pulled up in this sleepy Cotsworld town this summer and set the place alight with razzle dazzle displays of gun twirling, whip cracking, roping, lasso spinning , horse racing, cowboy magic and other such tom foolery.  

“Is that moustache real? Is that gun real? Is that a real horse? Can I have your autograph?”
— Pollyanna of Andover..

Ding dong the bells are going to chime!

Ding dong the bells are going to chime!

Will you marry us? well we couldn't say no could we? Especially as it was to be an Alice in Wonderland Wedding in deepest Dorset, and with all the guest in their best party frocks it was the perfect setting . Congratulations to Sam and Lizzy McEvilly for a glorious day and many thanks for the kind words.   

“Thank you so much, it meant the world to me and Lizzy and our day wouldn’t have been every bit as wornderful as it was without your presence, ceremony, guidance, direction and showmanship, you are an amazing and wonderful man.”
— Sam and Lizzy McEvilly Dorset

And of course in addition to the Meet and Greet, Handfasting Ceremony and Toastmastering we had to have a bit of a Mad Hatter show didn't we!   

If you go down to the woods today!

If you go down to the woods today!

As it's fuelled by bubbles, Flying Officer Kite soon got his new ground crew trained up and they worked hard to get him up in the air again.. 

Chocs Away !

Chocs Away !

Flying Officer Kite got the Seaside Summer Season off to a flying start by swooping in at Skyfest, a celebrations of the Summer Solistice and Kite Flying at The Knap Barry in June 

Pirate Captain Perilous Pete on the trail of Captain Morgan

Pirate Captain Perilous Pete on the trail of Captain Morgan

It's long been said that the beautiful Tredegar House nr Newport Wales, a National Trust property may or may not have hosted the most famous of Welsh pirate buccaneers, Captain Morgan, but what we do know is that they made Perilous Pete , The Scourge of the Severn  very welcome the last weekend of May as part of their Pirate weekend!  With threee days of pirate antics, trails, quizzes, stories, tours, pirate tests and a jolly good soaking, hundreds of new pirates signed up for Perilous Petes' next cruise! 

““ Perilous Pete was just fabulous, the effect on the children and adults was fantastic, they all bought ionto the character and they all so wanted to sign up as pirates “ ”
— Visitor Experience Manager, National Trust Tredegar House

Rain doesn't worry a Welsh fireman, or his children for that matter!

Rain doesn't worry a Welsh fireman, or his children for that matter!

A damp start to the Summer of Fun at Aberdare Park did not deter the dinosaurs or the circus workshop fun we provided for a grand day out in the Park. With a new play area for the very young , fabulous balloons from Russell at Pick N Mix Circus and juggling, diablos, kendamas, pedalgo's, spinning plates, bubbles, dragon tails to keep everyone busy, they soon forget all about the raindrops.    

Indiana Jones at Woburn

Indiana Jones at Woburn

A corporate awayday in a forest for the UK's leading telecom provider, the brief was to give the guests a surprise with an impact. What better than an Indiana Jones' Whip Cracking Workshop with a finale show of his stunts and tricks where they were the stars! 6, 12 and 20 foot bull whips soon filled the glade with real life action. 

““ That was the most fun I’ve ever had in a forest in my life!” Everyone had a great time learning incredible new skills, we loved it” ”
— Nicola Farnham Corporate Maketing Department

Circus workshop season has started!!

Circus workshop season has started!!

“You have done a fantastic job! everytime I’ve passed, the laughter of the children has just shown how much they have all enjoyed it, Thank you again! ”
— Rob Lynch, Director, Newport Caravans

Lovely to be invited to provide Circus workshops and balloon modelling for the third year running at a major Touring Caravan and Motor Home Open day this weekend. 

A typical English country fete ..

A typical English country fete ..

Not really .. :-)  over 3000 attendees, set under the highest point in the Cotsworlds in beautiful countryside the Woodmancote May Day Fete resounded to the sounds of "Pecan Petes'  Wild West Show " and the cheers of a packed arena.  

“The feedback from everyone was fantastic! they loved the shows and the wild west workshops, you were a delight to work with , Thank you and “Running Brave” so much. ”
— Andy Carter Ent Sec.

Ringmaster Extraordinaire !

Ringmaster Extraordinaire !

“Peter is a consummate professional and a genuinely lovely chap, ”
— John Kirk Technical Production Manager No Fit State Circus
“With 15years of experience supporting events, I can say he was remarkably easy to deal with; calm, composed, organised, just a joy! His performance and presence improved the event a hundredfold, he was a compelling ringmaster, an enthralling entertainer,and, as a compere, held the event together beautifully. ”
— John Kirk, Technical Production Manager No Fit State Circus.