300 Saints in U.K. and Ireland donate time, talents to making British Pageant costumes
Their efforts over the last two years will come to fruition this August, when the pageant runs in England
Volunteers at the Merthyr Tydfil Stake in Wales work on costumes for the British Pageant, to be held in August 2023 in England.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
300 Saints in U.K. and Ireland donate time, talents to making British Pageant costumes
Their efforts over the last two years will come to fruition this August, when the pageant runs in England
Volunteers at the Merthyr Tydfil Stake in Wales work on costumes for the British Pageant, to be held in August 2023 in England.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
More than 300 people have donated their time and talents to making costumes for the British Pageant, to be held this August in Chorley, Lancashire in England.
The pageant reenacts the story of Heber C. Kimball, the first missionaries to England and early converts to the Church in England through words, song and dance.
The volunteers throughout Ireland and the U.K. have combined their efforts over the last two years to create costumes for pageant cast, choir members, and dancers, the Church’s United Kingdom Newsroom recently reported.
The volunteers have also repurposed older costumes into bags for the British Red Cross.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, volunteers sewed waistcoats. In Limerick, Ireland, youth prepared ribbons for a celebration scene in the pageant. And in Glasgow, Scotland, volunteers sewed buttons onto men’s pants.
Jeannie Wills, costume lead, has organized multiple sewing workshops since February 2022.
Following a workshop at the Merthyr Tydfil Stake in Wales, Wills said she’s grateful to be associated with people willing to give service to the British Pageant.
“The costumes are an integral part of helping the performers send their message of God’s love to participants and viewers alike,” Wills said. “It has been a brilliant opportunity to serve, have fun and make new friends.”
Theresa Williams, the Merthyr Tydfil Stake Relief Society president, said finding out where various items were made was a highlight of the workshop.
“The spirit of unity with our sisters from around the U.K. and Ireland was an unexpected blessing,” she said. “It was the best day I could have hoped for.”
The British Pageant is free to the public and will be performed Aug. 2-5 and 8-12, 2023.
It was first performed in 2013 as a one-time event. It was later performed in 2017 and was scheduled to continue every four years. President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who served as a young full-time missionary in England, attended one of the performances. It was postponed from 2021 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2022, it was postponed due to the armed conflict in Ukraine, the Europe Area Presidency announced at that time.
A production display at the Merthyr Tydfil Stake in Wales, where volunteers worked on costumes for the British Pageant, to be held in August 2023 in Chorley, Lancashire, England.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
