TELLING the story of Swindon and using Swindon’s talent to tell it – this is the ambitious dream of Wiltshire’s High Sheriff, Nicky Alberry.

This vision will be realised on stage at the Wyvern Theatre on Saturday October 6, when artists and performers in dance, music, theatre and film all collaborate in a ground-breaking production called Uncelebrated Journey. The performance to tell the story of Swindon from the days of the railway town to the diverse community of the present, through the life of Alfred Williams.

Williams, who was born in 1877 and died in 1930, was a poet, writer and collector of folk song lyrics who was born at South Marston and worked in the Great Western Railway works. He was nicknamed the Hammerman Poet, as he operated a steam hammer for more than 20 years.

Graham Carter described him as, “a true local hero for the people of Swindon, and the area around it – even if they don’t know it yet.” It seems that day has come.

“When I knew I was going to be High Sheriff, I thought one of the things I could do was to put on an event that would show the amazing creative talent in the town,” Nicky said. “Some of the work I was doing in my day job, around cultural partnerships and understanding, and I saw what fantastic organisations we had in the town. Being High Sheriff gave me a platform to showcase how brilliant they are.”

Working over the last two years with fellow Swindon heritage enthusiasts – Graham Carter, Caroline Black and Paul Gentleman – the idea for Uncelebrated Journey was born. The production pulls together events from Williams’ life.

“Williams is largely uncelebrated, and we wanted to show Swindon as a town that is a fantastic place to live and work, but one that is also rather uncelebrated,” Nicky said.

She approached groups and organisations in the town and each was given a part of Williams’ life to portray or respond to creatively, for the performance. The programme also includes newly commissioned works, such as piece of music by Roger May for the Swindon Symphony Orchestra, original choreography from Helen Ganberg of the Swerve Dance Theatre Company and Banxy for Swindon Dance, as well as Divya Kasturi for the South Asian Performing Arts Centre. Tickets for Uncelebrated Journey are £26. To book, call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.