A TOWERING mechanical puppet - considered the largest of its type ever built in Britain - will visit Gwent for the first time next year.
The moving, steaming, mechanical Man Engine - which resembles a giant miner - will visit Blaenavon and Blaenau Gwent in its Wales-wide tour.
The 'Man Engine Cymru: Forging a Nation tour will visit eight of South Wales' most important industrial heritage sites between April 8 -12.
This includes an opening ceremony at Blaenavon's Big Pit museum and parade to Blaenavon Ironworks with choirs, brass bands and theatrics to bring the experience to life.
The puppet will then travel to Ebbw Vale Steelworks (April 9) - gem of Welsh industry and the first site in Britain to integrate iron and steel production.
The team behind the Man Engine, Golden Tree Productions, are already creating a bespoke visual and aural experience for the Welsh expedition – set to include theatrical shows, live music and storytelling to highlight the rich industrial heritage of South Wales.
The Welsh tour is a collaboration among the Welsh cultural sector, with Swansea University working in partnership with the Welsh Government’s historic environment service (Cadw), National Museum Wales, five councils, Head 4 Arts and Golden Tree Productions.
The project also includes Welsh Government funding from their Tourism Product Innnovation Fund.
The aim is to create a "nationwide dialogue around the legacy of Wales’s historic mining communities".
Cabinet secretary for economy and infrastructure, Ken Skates, said: “Iron, copper and coal once formed the heart of the South Wales Valleys and the arrival of the Man Engine in Wales marks a unique chance for the modern Welsh public to reflect and bring this mining heritage alive.
“The Industrial Revolution is a vital part of Welsh history and it’s more important than ever to remember the people and the places that brought it to life.
"This type of innovative tourism development gives people compelling reasons to visit the south Wales Valleys and is reflective of the way that the Valleys Taskforce is working with communities to develop the area’s tourism offer.
“I urge the people of south Wales to come and see this culturally significant celebration of our heritage and to follow the journey of the Man Engine to our epic shores during the 2018 Year of the Sea.”
The Welsh visit forms part of the Man Engine’s 2018 Resurrection Tour, which will see the 11.2m tall puppet steam across some of the UK’s most significant industrial heritage sites, including locations in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Yorkshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire.
Man Engine's creator, Will Coleman, added: "We’re delighted that we’re bringing him to south Wales where mines, collieries, trams and trains once dominated the landscape.
“We have a global ambition to take the Man Engine to all the significant mining and industrial heritage sites across the world, so bringing him to south Wales with its major industrial heritage status, is an ideal stop on his UK-wide journey.
"We can’t wait to meet all the people of the Valleys and have the Man Engine share the stories and the significance of the area’s rich mining heritage.”
Further information and tickets to witness the week of spectacles will be released via the Man Engine website in January.
To find out more, visit www.themanengine.co.uk.
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