A Britain’s Got Talent finalist who wowed TV audiences with her dog tricks team will be taking part in a dog festival when it makes its debut.
The Trickstars, led by dog trainer Lucy Heath, made it to the final of the popular ITV show last year – and on August 16 they will be spending the day at Meadowbark, a new dog festival being held on the Great Meadow in Kedington, near Haverhill.
The show is the brainchild of Kedington resident Ella Rowsell – herself the owner of a boxer – and the TV stars will be there to not just showcase their own talents but also to meet dog owners and teach them and their pets a few tricks of their own.
Lucy Heath performing with The Trickstars on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. Picture: ITVThe Trickstars with their impressive show on Britain’s Got Talent last year. Picture: ITV
Ella said: “They are doing two sets of the tricks that they have done on Britain’s Got Talent and they are doing some ‘Give it a Go’ sessions, where they will teach the dog owners some tricks.”
Lucy is, said Ella, expected to be in the main arena most of the day, starting at 10am, when the show opens. The festival ends at 4pm.
The Give it a Go sessions are 11.45am to 12.15pm and 2pm to 2.30pm.
Lucy Heath with The Trickstars on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent in 2024. Picture: ITV
Ella came up with the idea for a dog festival in Kedington having been inspired by how many dog lovers there are in the community.
She said: “We have (Kedington) Meadowlark every year and do a dog show there and there’s always dogs walking around. We live for our dogs now, so why don’t we have something like this.
“We haven’t got anything like this locally so it’s nice to be able to offer something that’s a bit different and to attract people from far and wide.”
The festival will also have dog shows and contests, food trucks (Greek, pizza and a hog roast) and treats, agility courses, pet stalls and goodies, live entertainment, a doggie photobooth and more.
Lucy Heath with dog Strike on the Britain’s Got Talent stage. Picture: ITV/Britain’s Got Talent
Ella needs more volunteers on the day, mostly to help with the bucket collections.
The festival is free to enter but donations will go towards the costs of the Kedington Community Association, which manages the Great Meadow and neighbouring community centre.
To get involved email kedingtonmeadowbark@gmail.com or check out the Meadowbark page on Facebook.