Volunteers put on free panto in Cwmbran- The Pirates of Pontnewydd Park!

Volunteers from the Friends of Pontnewydd Park staged a free Pirates and Princesses event at Mount Pleasant Hall yesterday.

three actors on stage in panto outfits — Sue Morgan as Mr Smiddle, Peter Bourne as Captain Skullrot, and Chris Morgan as Princess Ponty (Photo: Friends of Pontnewydd Park)

The group work to maintain and improve the park off Mount Pleasant Road in the town. Yesterday’s panto was planned to be in the open air but the torrential rain saw them move to the nearby community hall so the show could go on.

A spokesperson for the Friends of Pontnewydd Park told Cwmbran Life: “It was originally meant to be in the Park, but due to the terrible weather, we moved it indoors, so as not to disappoint the kids, and provide something free for families to do on an otherwise horrible day.

“We gave out free snacks and drinks for all the children, and had a treasure hunt in the hall. We also had a bouncy castle, which was a hit.

“We were then visited by the Disney princess Cinderella, played by local artist Alys Prosser. She is currently studying theatre in London.

a row of people stood against a theatre stage — The volunteers behind the event (actors, props/sound, stewards and organisers): Chris Morgan, Peter Bourne, Susan Morgan, Richard Hughes, Leanne Morgan, David Daniels, and Dan Bailey. Stuart Ashley was there, but not pictured (Photo: Friends of Pontnewydd Park)

“We finished off the day with an original panto ‘Pirates of Pontnewydd Park’, where the nasty Captain Skullrot (Peter Bourne) and his witless sidekick Mr Smiddle (Susan Morgan) were trying to find Princess Ponty’s (Chris Morgan) treasure. With the help of our pirate and princess children, they were able to find the treasure, which turned out to be Princess Ponty’s teddy bear!

“The panto was written and narrated by Leanne Morgan.

“The whole event was free and put on by volunteers, and we had lots of positive and thankful comments from guests.”