Yesterday I took the ‘One Ring To Bind Them’ exhibition to Darlaston Town Hall and threw open the doors. Thanks to everyone who came along to have a gander, and stayed to enjoy the wrestling showcases throughout the afternoon. You made all the hard work worthwhile!
This special one-day showing of the exhibition followed on from its three-week residence in Wolverhampton Central Library. In that time, several hundred people have viewed it, and over 2000 copies of the free newspaper have been read in pubs, libraries, and cafes across Walsall and Wolverhampton, with more being distributed this week.
It’s time to take a breather, and to say thanks to all the people who helped make this possible. The National Lottery Heritage Fund for backing it; Walsall Creative Factory for all their support (and the fantastic cake); Nicole Lovell for her superb photos; Wolverhampton Libraries and Darlaston Town Hall for providing venues where we could show the exhibition; the wrestling fans who explained why they love the sport. Above all, my thanks to all the wrestlers – veterans and youngsters – who were so generous with their time and their stories, and who allowed me the opportunity to present this fascinating part of our heritage to a wider audience.
I’ll be creating an online archive of all the interviews and photos over the next few weeks, so that the stories this project captured will be freely accessible for years to come. For now, though, I’ll leave you with a picture of the wonderful cake made by Creative Factory for yesterday’s event, because it’s a little belter. Cheers.
