A CIRCUS event has been organised to bring the wider community together over the first May bank holiday weekend, with three big shows for families.

St. Andrew's School is Newport is hosting a circus event, organised by a local school group to entertain the school children and teach them circus skills through workshops. Then, a day event has been set up, with three big shows for families in the wider community on the same weekend.

Family Engagement Officer at St. Andrew's School, Cath Horton-Shaw, said that "some children have not had access to events like circus since COVID.

"We're hoping that the children will not only learn new skills, they will have the experience of going to go into a big top and that will bring the community together."

The big top' is the main tent in a circus.

The local school group is the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA) operating from St. Andrews School in Newport has organised an event with a circus community called Circus PaZaz.

Ms Horton-Shaw explains that Circus PaZaz go into schools, work with lots of PTFAs and put on traditional circus shows while also delivering workshops.

According to Ms Horton-Shaw, this is the first PaZaz community circus event in Newport, with another school due to have one later in the year.

Children will do workshops and learn circus skills on Friday, May 3. Then three shows will be set up, performed by the circus team at Circus PaZaz at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, May 4.

Schools in Newport are holding lots of community events, including one at Maindee Primary School recently.

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Ms Horton-Shaw said activities on offer "acrobatics, juggling, hula hooping, cowboy whip cracking and comedy."

Tickets have been sold to families within the school. Now, tickets are going on sale for the wider community, so that families who may not have children that attend St. Andrews can go along to the show.

Those that are interested will need to email the school to purchase tickets for the event.

The circus event will be held at the big green fields at the bottom of Jenkins Street and Milner Street.