Changes made to Punch & Judy show as it returns to Weymouth Beach
Puppeteer Mark says the biggest change is losing his friend and colleague Ray
Weymouth's Punch & Judy show is back this summer after a year off.
It has been over a year since puppeteer Mark Poulton last performed as a lot of his private bookings and festivals were cancelled because of the pandemic.
He has been busy behind the scenes making some changes to this summer's Punch & Judy performance returning in July.
Mark lives in Paignton and travels to and from Weymouth every year to perform Punch & Judy.
Due to there being no storage facilities in the town, Mark is using a smaller set this year, meaning the routines will be slightly different.
PRICE INCREASE
A big change the audience members will notice is the price.
This year it will cost £2 to watch a Punch & Judy show on Weymouth beach. When Mark took over in 2005 the show was 80p and then it went up to £1.
He says the reason for the price increase is to cover the cost of what he has lost over the last year.
"It wasn't just the beach shows that were cancelled, all my private bookings and festivals that I do, everything has been cancelled.
"I hope people will understand that I have to pay fees to get on to the beach, different insurances and this summer I have to pay for a new licence.
"Also, this year, I am missing the big children's breaks like Easter, May bank holiday and May half term so I think the money is justified.
"I'll be collecting the money myself this year, which means a lot of people won't be able to donate like they usually do when I'm performing the show."
THR CROWDFUNDER KEPT THE SHOW GOING
Punch & Judy Weymouth held a Crowd funder last year and the aim was to collect £5000. They reached the target and Mark says it's what kept the business afloat.
"The money that has come in is to keep the work and storage side of the business going and also all the bills I've still had to pay for the business, even though I haven't been performing.
"Everything else has come out of universal credit. If it wasn't for the Crowd funder there's no way I could've open this year, it shows the level of support that there is for Weymouth Punch & Judy which I am grateful for. There has been no financial support for helping to save the show, it was down to the people."
Mark has not only been hit by Covid, his Bottler Ray, who would go round and collect donations, sadly passed away last year.
With Ray's passing it leaves Mark to run the show by himself - from setting up in the morning to performing the show.
"It's difficult to find bottlers, it's not a job somebody can go around shaking a tin it's certainly not a job for some who hasn't got enough worldly experience.
"I just hope that a new bottler will materialise sometime in the future as Ray leaves a huge gap in the show.
"But his memory will live on and we do plan on doing something in the summer, some kind of memorial event in his name."