King Stammers wins Spirit of the Fringe Award

King Stammers wins Spirit of the Fringe Award

1000 1000 Ventnor Fringe

We are excited to announce that Tim Martin, better known as King Stammers, has won the first ever Ray Durham Spirit of the Fringe Award, sponsored by Plumridge Self Storage.

Created to recognise an artist who truly embodies the principles and values of  Ventnor Fringe, the inaugural Ray Durham Spirit of the Fringe Award, made possible with the generous support of Plumridges, follows in the footsteps of the first Rouse Ltd Audience Choice Award.

It was unanimous decision within the Ventnor Fringe team that King Stammers, the stage name of Tim Martin should receive this accolade, for his unwavering dedication, commitment and enthusiasm both directly at the Fringe and throughout each year.

Tim is responsible for inspiring new poets through the fortnightly Ventnor Exchange Spoken Word Collective, and his boundless energy kept momentum going throughout lockdown, and resulted in the poets’ first performance together at the Fringe. On top of that, his stage persona King Stammers was able to step in at the very last minute with his thoughtful and hilarious poetry to entertain a sell out crowd for an entire hour after a fellow act missed a ferry!

On receiving the award Tim said “Receiving this award from Ventnor Fringe not only restores my confidence in myself as an artist, but also supported me at a time it was desperately needed.”

The Spirit of the Fringe Award trophy was created by Ventnor artist Paradox Paul, and the trophy is given alongside a cash prize to the winner. Ventnor Fringe would like to thank all of its sponsors for their ongoing and vital support.

Ray Durham (1934 – 2019) , born in Suffolk, had fought in the Korean war, then lived with his family in N. Ireland, before arriving in Ventnor in the 1990’s.  He was a loquacious, friendly and engaging person, well known and liked throughout the town. He loved his music, entertained on the piano, did a mean Freddie Mercury impersonation, and enjoyed any visit to Shanklin Theatre, The award in his memory is sponsored by Plumridge Self Storage where, over 20 years, his humour and engaging character were much appreciated by customers and colleagues alike.

Ventnor Fringe will return over 10 days from Friday July 22nd – Sunday 31st July 2022.

The deadline for artists to register to perform at the festival is midnight on Monday 18th April 2022