Over the Bank Holiday weekend, a crack squad of ten TWP performers had a blast playing Queen Jellyfish and her Rhyming Riddlers for Redcar’s brand-new family arts festival, Between the Tides. Here’s one account, from Patience Ezinwoke…

“I will for long relish the pleasure of taking part in the first ever “Between the Tides Festival” which held at Redcar seaside yesterday, courtesy of Tees Women Poets led by our delightful Kirsten! This festival was a celebration of the town’s rich maritime heritage and the magical wonders that lay beneath the ocean waves. The highlight of the festival was rhyming riddles which brought joy and excitement to children and adults alike.”

The Plot – The Quest of Queen Jellyfish

The Jellyfish Queen knows that to rule with wisdom and fairness, a king or queen must know about their land – the places, people, and creatures who are their subjects. But how can she find out? She needs brave and clever children to become knights of her court and go on a special quest around her kingdom. Her champions must meet the strange riddlers, solve their poetic puzzles to identify icons of the Redcar coast, and return to the Jellyfish Queen with proof of their success. Triumphant heroes get a special jellyfish sticker!

So families flocked to the picturesque beach, where colourful installations lined the shore and the sound of laughter filled the air, while the salty breeze carried the excitement of the day. The festival was filled with bustling activities, from face painting to puppetry workshops and more, but for us it was the Quest of Queen Jellyfish and her Rhyming Riddlers that stole the show!

Patience says “With the help of Kirsten, we crafted our poems, and memorised them for performance ahead of time. Ha ha, I lost my lines during the rehearsals, but thankfully remembered them when it mattered! Ah, it was fun making my costume! Overall, the festival was an incredibly exciting event filled with laughter, fun, and creativity. It was a great way of entertaining and engaging the young minds through rhyming riddles and fun poems.May the joy of the “Between the Tides” Festival live on!”

Here’s Patience’s rhyming riddle – let’s see if you can solve it!

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Long ago I lived in the deep blue sea

I’m really older than a dinosaur, you see

Alive I was a funny shelled creature

Now at times in seaside gift shops I am a feature

If you’re a fossil hunter, split a rock in two

And I just might be there, waiting for you!

Coiled in a spiral, a timeless sight

What am I?……….

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Watch out for more pics and riddles on our social media over the next few days, and see if you can solve them all!