Music icon to join Yardley Creative Spirit Show celebrations
24th September 2026
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The event takes place at Dovehouse Theatre, Langley School, Kineton Green Road, Solihull, on Saturday 3 October (7pm-9 pm).

The show will feature performances from local musicians and dancers and highlight a successful community campaign to protect Barrows Lane Fields – the district’s last remaining green space for organised sport, leisure and community activities.

Supported by the Yardley Neighbourhood Network Scheme (YNNS) and the National Lottery Community Fund, the Creative Spirit Show is a collaboration between Yardley Community Protection Society (YCPS) and The Conies, the Yardley-based children’s safety charity for which Rick Wakeman is an ambassador.

Rick , a CBE recipient and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, will give a special guest performance at the show.

His prolific six-decade career includes working with Yes, David Bowie and Cat Stevens, as well as producing more than 100 solo albums including The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

He said: “I am really looking forward to being part of the Creative Spirit Show. Creativity has always driven my music, and it is inspiring to see that same spark in Yardley – from protecting Barrows Lane Fields to encouraging children to explore art and music through The Conies.

“As an ambassador, I am proud to support the work they are doing for children’s safety and wellbeing, and it is a pleasure to join an event that celebrates imagination and community.”

Fay Goodman, chair of YCPS, said: “We are thrilled to have Rick Wakeman join us in celebrating the strides we have made as a community in saving our beloved Barrows Lane Fields from private development.

“This achievement has only been possible because of the passion and determination of local residents, volunteers, and partners such as Arts in the Field, Yardley Preservation Society, and Sport England.

 “Our final challenge is to secure ownership of the site and develop it as a thriving community asset for generations to come.”

The event also celebrates the success of The Conies, founded in 2014 and awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service this year.

Its cartoon family of traffic cones, who deliver safety messages, have become the UK’s new children’s safety heroes, replacing the Green Cross Code Man and Tufty the Squirrel.

The charity encourages schools, parents, and children to follow the characters’ adventures and safety initiatives online.

Its latest programme, Conies Safe Explorers, offers free workshops that blend music and art with safety education for children aged 4-11.

Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, the sessions help children learn how to stay safe near roads, rivers, railway lines, and building sites, as well as in their homes and gardens and while online.

Tickets for the Yardley Creative Spirit Show are £25 (£15 concessions) and available in advance online only.

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Ian Henery

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