A PROJECT to celebrate Witney’s world famous blanket industry has now turned into a film.

The Journey of a Blanket had its premier before an invited audience at the town’s Screen at The Square, in the Corn Exchange, on Monday evening.

But project organisers are hoping for a wider release of the 55-minute film with showings in local schools and for the general public.

It features school children from the town as well as former workers in the industry and relatives of the Early family, whose blanket manufacturing dated back to the 17th century until the factory’s closure in 2002.

Its shutdown marked the end of a long history in which blankets made in Witney were shipped round the world.

One country they were exported to was Canada, in a two way-trade with the fur business.

The Journey of a Blanket project linked up with descendants of native Canadians whose ancestors were fur traders.

It started in the spring this year under the umbrella of the Children’s International Arts Organisation, based in Cowley Road, Oxford.

Artistic director Karen Draisey said yesterday: “Getting a film out of the project was an unexpected bonus. A young filmaker, Martin Ellerbeck, from Surrey, heard about it and took an interest.

“He not only filmed back here in Witney and west Oxfordshire but also went out to Canada as well.

“The project really took off and has excited a lot of interest. There’s even enthusiastic talk now of twinning Witney with Fort William in Canada which has a historical park with a theme on blankets.”

Ms Draisey, who was brought up in Stonesfield, lived and worked in the country for a time and had her idea for the project when she remembered being amazed at seeing a pile of Witney blankets at Fort William.

Students from Witney’s Wood Green School devised their own play around the blanket journey, which was staged in the autumn at the school and The Theatre in Chipping Norton.

Children from Batt and Blake primary schools in the town also produced an exhibition on the history of Witney’s wool trade.

Ms Draisey added: “The whole thing went down fantastically well, among both young and old, who were involved in it. Though the industry is no longer part of Witney, it obviously lives on in people’s minds. Now we have a film that is a record of what we did.”

witney@witneygazette.co.uk