Billingham Teacher Marries Real Life Romeo After Theatre Festival Romance
Love was really in the air when a Billingham teacher met the future love of her life after working as an interpreter for the annual Folklore Festival.
Wendy Batby [née Harding] of Billingham, a French teacher at Manor College of Technology in Hartlepool was put forward by her Aunty Eleanor as a volunteer interpreter in the school summer holidays to translate for a visiting French dance company.
Little did she know that Cupid was only around the corner to fire a loving arrow towards Vincent Batby, a French stilt dancer from Labouheyre in the Landes – who performs with a group called Bouheyrins & Bouheyrines : which is a sight to behold as the men wear sheepskin waistcoats and dance on those said stilts.
The whirlwind romance would then see Wendy swap her Tees Valley roots for the Médoc a well-known wine-growing region in Bordeaux, France.
This fateful encounter was 26-years ago and now Wendy, aged 52 and Vincent, aged 51 have two grown up children, Thomas, aged 21, and Alex, aged 17. Both of whom are thankful that their parents’ gaze met during the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance. Wendy still works as a teacher but this time teaching English.
The Folklore Festival is itself celebrating very poignant milestone as in August it will be marking its 60th anniversary year of entertaining and informing audiences for the past six-decades.
Since its inception in 1965, the festival has welcomed over 20,000 performers from 97 countries and attracted an audience of more than 1.8 million people; and in August it will be staging a wonderful nine-day showcase including visiting dance companies from Indonesia, Mexico, Montenegro, Puerto Rico, Ukraine/Canada and USA.
“I would like to thank the Folklore Festival because it was an experience which would alter my life forever as amongst the dancers in the group was the man who is now my husband,” said Wendy.
When Wendy was growing up, she would always go to the opening and closing parades of the Folklore Festival and stood near to the park, but she only ever helped out that one blissful time.
Her parents, sister Claire and other members of her family still live in Billingham or nearby. Wendy reflects on the impact BIFF has had on the local community – ‘it is a major event for a small North-Eastern town’.
Wendy fondly remembers the Festival growing up in Billingham. She said: “It has brought a lot of joy to so many people over the years. Even if you couldn’t afford tickets, if you knew where to stand you could still see the performances through the gaps in the fence. Priceless!
“It also opened up new horizons. I loved the colourful costumes but as I have always loved languages, I used to go to the town centre in the hope of hearing Peruvians in Asda or Russians in Boyes and get them to sign my autograph book!”
Wendy summarises: “So, many thanks BIFF for allowing me to meet the love of my life and for giving me the opportunity to follow my dream and live in France!”
Olga Maloney, Artistic Director, Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, said:
“It is remarkable to see just how many people show lasting warmth towards the Folklore Festival. For sixty years the event has played such a significant role in people’s lives from audience members through to international dancers.
“Wendy and Vincent are the epitome of what the festival is all about. They have been brought together by the power of love, music and dance, and who can argue with that. We want people from Billingham and across Tees Valley to come along and try out the festival, whether it’s your first time or fiftieth time we want to see you there in August for our big birthday. As it promises to be something extra special that will last in the audiences’ memory for another sixty years.”
Tickets are available from the BIFF online website for as little as £1 for some of the 9-17th August shows* – www.billinghamfestival.com
The Folklore Festival will be visiting venues in Billingham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton.
(* Shows featured in the Billingham Festival Arena as part of the Pay What You Decide scheme).
The 60th anniversary celebrations are being supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Stockton Borough Council, and Arts Council’s National Lottery Project Grants programme.