Samba drums thump through Truro

On the 5th of October the streets of Truro came alive with the sound of drums as children and adults alike performed in the Samba Festival. I spent the day with Launceston Community Primary School who put on two wonderful performances despite reduced numbers. This group of 8-11 year olds are well known in Launceston itself and they had decided to share their Samba with a wider audience.

Their first location was outside the Library and they set up and performed a set that managed to attract quiet a crowd. Under the guidance of Kari Gilbert they set the Samba beat echoing though the street and feet tapping on the cobbles. There was some slight drama as a man delivering training to the partially sighted inside the Library came out to speak to the staff about the noise. He was good humoured though and couldn’t help but leave with a smile. Once the band finished, the kind people of the nearby coffee shop Sambells came and gave the tired children a much needed drink of orange squash. After about 30 minutes they moved on to their second location outside of the Lemon Street Market.

Here we caught up to the adult group Street Heat who were playing with the Truro School of Samba who organised the whole event. These colourfully dressed characters played loudly and with great enthusiasm before letting the Launceston School children take the stage. Another fine performance ensued, topped off with one of the managers from the Market coming out to congratulate them on their skills.

The Samba Festival wasn’t the only event going on in Truro and in the centre there was a Food Market and Blues Festival. Both of these events helped to reinforce the reputation that Cornwall’s capital has of being a vibrant place to be.