BRITAIN’S Got Talent and The X Factor are but two of the talent competitions that form part of popular media entertainment and many individuals are encouraged to display their talents on the national stage.

In contrast, how much talent is hidden away in our villagers by individuals who are often too reticent to acknowledge their talents even to neighbours?

In an attempt to display the wide range of skills that exist within the Wychavon Villages of Culture, White Ladies Aston, Broughton Hackett, Spetchley and Churchill, Julia Gillett of Churchill, organised The Big Art Show.

The event was designed not to be a competition between villagers but to showcase the artistic skills of the area, talent that was often inspired by the beautiful Worcestershire countryside.

Art was attracted in a wide variety of forms; painting and photography, stitching and sculpture, ceramics and carpentry, quilting and millinery and was displayed firstly in the impressive setting of St John the Baptist Church, White Ladies Aston before setting out on tour to other significant sites such as St Leonard’s Church, Broughton Hackett and All Saints Church, Spetchley.

The displays were a great success and hundreds of people turning up to view the displays over three weekends.

So popular were the events that additional villagers contributed examples of their work as the roadshow progressed through the villages.

We often take talent for granted. In the villages, flower displays for village or church events are frequently produced without comment.

Only when we hear that the individual involved is invited to arrange flowers in Worcester Cathedral or for The Queen at the ANZAC Day service at Westminster Abbey do we appreciate the level of skill that the villages are viewing weekly.

Similarly, in the days before Covid-19, when village productions were presented in the villages we often forgot that the thespian before us was a star of stage and screen and had performed along side such individuals as Barbara Windsor and Diana Rigg and had acted in such classic productions as Carry on Camping or 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In contrast, other villages can boast of sports stars or media personalities. Sometimes individuals of international acclaim are briefly resident in our villages but if their talents are uncovered before they move on they can enrich the community.

In recent months our villages have provided accommodation for a best-selling crime author, an internationally renowned cellist and a famous wildlife artist and all have supported, or promised to support, the villages in future community events.

However, the villages do not only need superstars to support them, as everyone has a particular part to play in their community and frequently when work needs to be done there is someone willing to step up to use their skill to do the task or knows somebody with the required talent.

Communities thrive when talents and skills are shared.