Fawley (15 January 2007) -- An innovative puppet show that helps people of all ages learn through fun has taken delivery of a new purpose-built, light-weight stage.

The 1st Hythe Girls Brigade received the grant of £1,000 from Esso and ExxonMobil Chemical at Fawley. They are now using it for dozens of puppet shows each year in schools and at community events, many with educational themes.

The grant has been donated under a special scheme designed to recognise the efforts of ExxonMobil employees and their families who contribute their time, talent and energy to schools, charities and non-profit making organisations. The scheme not only helps local organisations, but also improves the links between ExxonMobil and the local community.

The recipient of the grant was Chris Jones, who is a manufacturing computer systems support manager at the refinery in Fawley. His wife Wendy has been involved with the Girls Brigade in Hythe for many years.

Wendy said: “We came up with the idea of the puppet group three years ago, to try and encourage some of the older girls to stay on with the Girls Brigade when they reached the stage that they decided it wasn’t cool any more. Not only did it work for those already involved, but the success of the puppet group means that the Brigade is now attracting new members."

The Praizin’ Hands puppet group has now expanded to 12 young puppeteers, aged 11 to 17 years, along with six adult puppeteers and a seven-strong stage and sound crew.

Wendy added: “The shows themselves are also really popular with the audiences. We started by going into a few local schools, but the demand now is so great that we have a full diary of community events as well. We are now starting to go into secondary schools with shows about saying no to drugs and other relevant issues.

“The new lightweight stage makes a remarkable difference to us. In the past it took a lot of time and effort to set up a stage, but we can now do it in minutes.”

The ExxonMobil Volunteer Involvement Programme at Fawley has so far contributed more than £200,000 to local community projects since it was started three years ago.