Meet Big DoG and the Moat Brae Pirates

Meet Big DoG and the Moat Brae Pirates for a Festival of Storytelling and Fun

• Cuddly character leaves her kennel to meet children in Dumfries
• Great events at venues and on the streets all across the town

She’s fun, furry and loves stories – children are invited to meet Big DoG, the loveable character who has given her name to an annual festival in Dumfries.

Recently she’s been checking out all the arrangements for the Big DoG festival of children’s literature (from 22 to 24 March) which will bring authors, illustrators and storytellers from all across the UK to take part.

The first stop was Moat Brae, where she played with the Storyweavers, who will be involved in all sorts of fun and games at a Peter Pan Prate Breakfast and Peter Pan Pirate Afternoon Tea.

She was very excited to go there because Moat Brae is where Peter Pan began, and the Darling children in the story were looked after by a big dog called Nana.

Festival Producer Andy Stewart, from the Wigtown Festival Company, said: “This is the first time that Big DoG herself has ever taken part in an event. In fact she’s quite shy and it’s the first time she’s ever gone out in public.

“But she heard how great the festival is and decided to come across from her kennel in Wigtown to meet all the children and take part.

“There’s going to be lots to do and see over the weekend – all been designed so children and families can hear great stories and get involved with all sorts of other activities.”

Big DoG had a great time exploring Moat Brae with three local children she met there – brother and sister Lewis (5) and Amelia Fell (9), with friend Kalia Graham (9).

The festival is devised and produced by Wigtown Festival Company and delivered in partnership with Moat Brae, DG Arts Festival, PlayTalkRead and PAMIS.

Among the well-known names at Big DoG will be former Children’s Laureate, the best-selling author and illustrator Lauren Child, who will take part in three events. One introduces Smile, the latest in her hugely popular Clarice Bean series, which began 25 years ago in 1999.

There will also be street theatre from The Refs plus storytelling, readings, puppetry, writing workshops and visual arts activities at venues across the town.

The Smart Play Network is even bringing along Benji the PlayTalkRead double decker play bus.

Big DoG 2024 events include

Children

• Dinosaur Detectives: Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre (age 5+) – Once upon a time enormous creatures walked the earth. Follow a fascinating journey of discovery, fun and conflict surrounding the first fossil finds of Mary Anning, William Buckland and Gideon Mantell. Clydebuilt combine puppetry with projection and shadow theatre. Theatre Royal, Shakespeare St.
• Adventuremice: Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre (ages 5-8) – The Adventuremice are summoned by an inventor-mouse who has built a spaceship and wants them to fly it. The Cairndale, English St.
• Later When I’m Big: Bette Westera and Mattias de Leeuw (ages 5-8) – As a child and her mother walk up to the swimming pool, she dreams about everything she’ll do when she’s older. The Kennel, 115-117 High St.
• Keep Dancing Lizzie Chu: Maisie Chan (ages 8-12) – Pick up your pencil as Maisie inspires you to write or draw your own stories using Chinese myths and legends as starting points. Moat Brae, George St.
• Fairytale Musical Mash Up: Gareth P Jones (ages 5-8) – Get down with disco-dancing gorilla, CinderGorilla, strut with Snowy White and the cat-walk cats of Purry Tale Lane. Moat Brae, George St.
• Scribble and Scrawl Crawl: Justin Davies and Jill Calder (ages 8-12) – Be inspired by sights and sounds around Dumfries and flex your creative muscles in this drawing and writing workshop with the award-winning duo. Meet at Big DoG HQ.
• Tiny Owl’s Scary Day: Petr Horacek (ages 3-7) – Pencils ready for this interactive draw-along. Join Petr as he shares his latest books Tiny Owl’s Scary Day and A Best Friend for Bear. The Kennel, 117 High St.
• Clarice Bean: Lauren Child (ages 7+) – Lauren talks about her latest novel - Smile. Clarice knows It's not just the planet that needs help – there’s her whole family too. And if you want things to change for the better, it’s not just up to everyone else, it’s also up to you.
• Strong Brave True: Great Scots who Changed the World, and how You Can Too!: Mairi Kidd and Tom Morgan-Jones (ages 5-8) – A fun-packed event about the lives of great Scottish heroes, with experiments, quizzes, drawing, and much, much more! Moat Brae, George St.
• Museum Mystery Squad and the Case from Outer Space: Mike Nicholson (ages 6-9) – Some people think museums are boring places full of glass cases, dust and stuff no one cares about: wrong! In a hidden headquarters below the exhibits there's a gang ready to handle dangerous, spooky or just plain weird problems: the Museum Mystery Squad. Moat Brae, George St.
• One Button Benny and the Dinosaur Dilemma: Alan Windram (ages 3-7) - It’s Friday and it’s party time in Robot Town. Join Alan Windram to bounce and boogie in the latest instalment of the One Button Benny Series. The Kennel, 117 High St.
• Knight Sir Louis and the Sinister Snowball: The Brothers McLeod (ages 8-12) – Splint the Sinister Snowball has his icy eyes set on world domination but Knight Sir Louis isn't about to let Castle Sideways be smothered in snow. Moat Brae, George St.
• No Matter What: Debi Gliori (ages 3-7) – Debi shares her heartfelt story with a new generation of readers. Moat Brae, George St.

For 16s and above

• New Writers’ Clinic: Mairi Kidd (adults) – Are you writing a children’s book? In these 20-minute drop-in sessions, you will meet Moat Brae’s Mairi Kidd to chat through ideas, pitches, writer support opportunities and more.
• The World of Illustration: Lauren Child and Jill Calder (ages 16+) – Lauren and illustrator Jill discuss their creative approach to writing and illustrating children’s books. The talk will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Family events

• Drop-in Draw-along: Illustrator Tom Morgan-Jones invites you to create the biggest, most magnificent drawing in Dumfries. Moat Brae, George St.
• Peter Pan Pirate Breakfast: Ahoy me hearties! Join Moat Brae’s Storyweavers fun and games inspired by Peter Pan, plus a delicious breakfa-a-a-rst with yummy pirate tucker. Dress up if you can. Moat Brae, George St.
• Peter Pan Pirate Afternoon Tea: The Storyweavers welcome you to enjoy a yummy, themed spread and Peter Pan pirate fun. Dress up if you can! Moat Brae, George St.

Free festival fun

• The Refs: Referees Tank and Bogie are looking for champions in this family-friendly walkabout show that turns everything into one big game. High St.
• Big DoG’s Family Rhyme Time: Storyteller in residence, Renita Boyle and everybody’s favourite furry canine friend tell stories, share rhymes, sing and dance together. The Kennel, 117 High St.
• Accessible Events: One-to-one sensory storytelling for those with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). Visit the website to find out more. Moat Brae, George St.
• Benji the Bus: Play Talk Read, for under 4s – Benji the double decker play bus and the PTR team offer drop-in sessions and lots of fun for you and your wee one. From arts and crafts to messy play and fancy dress. @PlaywithPTR! Midsteeple, 105 High St.
• Cucinema Workshop: Join Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival’s team as they share the art of Cucinema. Paint directly onto 16mm film and make a soundtrack. Big DoG HQ, 105 High St.

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors

About the festival: Named in honour of Nana, the big dog who looks after the Darling children in Peter Pan, Big DoG is the annual family festival for Dumfries. Take the lead from some of the nation’s favourite children’s writers, illustrators and storytellers for a weekend of barking fun where everyone has a tale.

Big DoG venues

• Moat Brae, 101 George St
• Big DoG HQ, Bookshop & Box Office, 109 High St
• The Kennel, 117 High St
• The Cairndale, 132 English St
• Theatre Royal, 66 Shakespeare St.

Box office and tickets

• Open 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Tickets can be purchased from the box office by calling 01988 403222. You can also purchase tickets in person at Number 11, Wigtown, DG8 9HN.
• During the festival: Tickets can be purchased on the door if an event is not sold out or at Big DoG HQ, 109 High St, DG2 7AD. Please contact 01988 403222 to check availability.
• Online booking: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.wigtownbookfestival.com
• Ticketing policy: Children must be accompanied by a ticket-buying adult. Under 2s who do not require a seat are free. Ages in listings are for guidance only. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis at each event. Big DoG does not exchange or refund tickets. If an event proceeds but not as advertised then we will exchange your ticket(s) for another event. If an event is cancelled we will offer a full refund. Events last for between 45 minutes and one hour unless otherwise stated.
• Bookshop: Festival titles and merchandise can be bought from Big DoG HQ and bookshop on the High St.
• Accessibility: To download the Big Dog Accessibility guide visit: bit.ly/bigdogfest

About Lauren Child

Lauren Child arrived on the children’s book scene in 1999. She is the creator of many much-loved characters including Ruby Redfort, Charlie and Lola, Hubert Horatio and of course, Clarice Bean. She won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 2000 for I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato and was announced as the tenth Waterstones Children’s Laureate in 2017. Clarice Bean: SMILE is her latest edition to the Clarice canon which have received huge critical acclaim since they debuted in 1999, selling over seven million copies worldwide as well as winning some of children’s books’ highest accolades.

Big DoG sponsors: Creative Scotland, Baillie Gifford, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Event Scotland, Annandale and Nithsdale Community Benefit Company, The People’s Project, Bard Vets.

Further information

• See www.wigtownbookfestival.com
• Organised by – Wigtown Festival Company, 11 Main Street, Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway, DG8 9HN.
• Wigtown Festival Company is limited by guarantee with charitable status. Charity number SCO37984.
• Find out more about Moat Brae https://www.moatbrae.org.