Thomas Cherrington (aka "Medium Fry") is 10 years old and thoroughly enjoyed watching Sunshine Follies last year when he first met Tony Lidington, creator of this iconic traditional seaside entertainment.
"When Tony contacted my mum about the 2023 training course (funded by The Helen Foundation. ed), I was very excited and proud that he thought I could manage the work. I was nervous before the first training session but it was great to see Uncle Taco and Spike again.
Meeting Lucy, my fellow trainee performer, was lovely and we got along straight away, helped by some very silly warmup games! I did feel quite overwhelmed a few times, as there was a lot to learn and the pressure of having to perform in front of an audience at the end of the training always at the back of my mind. I felt I learnt so much from the training and performances, not just things like routines and how to communicate with the audience, but also about myself and how I can overcome scary things. This experience pushed me a long way out of my comfort zone but I wouldn't change a thing."