Laughing Matters

Everyone likes to laugh, which is why Big Telly has decided to create this Comedy Festival, Laughing Matters, a celebration of our love of laughing, giggling and chortling. The ethos behind this project was to teach pupils and teachers how to use comedy and as a medium to explore attitudes, behaviour and issues such as diversity, tolerance, and citizenship. Nursery School through to Primary 7 pupils of Mill Strand Integrated School, Portrush and Damhead Primary School, Coleraine joined forces for a week-long series of comedy-based workshops led by the great Dr Palfi Consultant Laughologist, The Astounding Grundy Brothers and Janice Phayre, stand up comedian for children. Each class spent a day learning circus skills, physical comedy, clowning and stand up comedy. The workshops were designed to encourage pupils creativity, broaden their self-perception and further their expressive skills.

The finale of the festival, National No Smiling Day, took place in Coleraine Town Centre on Saturday 8th April. Dr Palfi, The Astounding Grundy Brothers and Janice Phayre entertained shoppers in the town while the pupils of both schools protested against the ridiculous amount of smiling going on.

The project was funded by the Integrated Education Fund through the PACT VI Grant Making Programme, "Promoting a Culture of Tolerance in Schools and Coleraine Borough Council Community Relations Grant Scheme. Ulsterbus kindly sponsored the project, the Ulsterbus Local District Manager said, "We are delighted to be supporting this initiative. Young People represent over a third of our passengers and play a key role in terms of future growth. This is a very worthy initiative which will instil a range of social development benefits. I would therefore like to wish this enthusiastic group of young people every success with this venture and would encourage people to travel to Coleraine Town Centre on Saturday to join in the fun!"