How you can be involved…

To mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of Cinderloo we are planning a major spectacle in early February 2021.

With ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and restrictions on public gatherings the group is attempting to organise the world’s first socially distanced riot.

The group is appealing to individuals, local organisations, social media communities and local trades unions to record a sentence stating something that they would like to change.

For example, the Cinderloo marchers called for ‘ A bigger loaf and a stop to a pay cut of sixpence a day” today this might be a slogan relating to COVID-19, support for our NHS, in favour of a living wage for carers, Black Lives Matters or in support of a local environment campaign.

We want people to make a short recording, 10 seconds max. on their phone and email the sound file to cinderloovoices@junctionbox98.net  where the recordings will be edited to recreate the noise of a loud and passionate crowd. Please do not use swearing or offensive language, since we will not be able to use it in the performance.

Download the full instructions on how to make your sound recording and share it with us:

We also invite you to make short video recordings that show movement and fit in with the story of the marchers on their way to the cinderhills. So these could include boots on gravel, moving shadows, figures glimpsed through trees, protesters throwing and shouting. Don’t worry too much about picture quality – jerky, blurred and grainy will help to create the sense of chaos during the Cinderloo events.

The sounds and video will be combined with other images, art work and video of the events 200 years ago as part of an audio-visual light show that will be broadcast in a central Telford location and streamed through local social media channels early in February.

The group is working with Telford and Wrekin Council and light and sound artist Andy McKeown of Wild Strawberry from Shrewsbury, who is renowned for his large audio-visual community events and who is providing the technical support and equipment to facilitate the event.

Spokesman for Cinderloo 1821 Pete Jackson said

‘We have lots of activity lined up for 2021 to commemorate the events 200 years ago which had a major impact on the communities that make up Telford today. We want as many individuals and groups to take part in leaving a legacy that will be available for people to look back at in 2221 to understand what the communities of Telford hoped for following the pandemic as well as remembering the women and men who stood up for the rights of working people two centuries ago”