Because Bonfire Night and Hallowe'en were coming, this month Andy led our session about why Guy Fawkes is remembered, and the stories we tell around this time of year.
We started by asking who knew about The Gunpowder plot, who started it, and why it happened. Although it wasn't his plan, Guy Fawkes was left in charge, but the plot was betrayed by someone warning the King. He was sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered, but escaped this grisly end by jumping from the gallows.
Hallowe'en has traditionally been a time to tell stories about ghosts, and witches and strange beasts, so we were given a selection of books of short stories to search through, and then we read (and even acted) out some of our discoveries.
After the break, the group split into two, with one half building the effigy of Guy Fawkes you see in the photo. The other half set about preparing to perform a traditional Mummers Play, which is a short story acted out by a few people wearing masks, playing the parts of Knights, kings, doctors and fools. This kind of play has been performed since medieval times at least, and is still performed around Britain in the 21st century, if you know where to look!
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