Published at 11:11, Thursday, 07 June 2012

HE has walked across the Thames, through a window and turned snow into diamonds. But on Sunday afternoon, the charismatic Dynamo was in Whitehaven wowing festival crowds.

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Having travelled the world stunning celebrities with his illusions, he found himself the Festival’s biggest draw.

“It was pretty mad’’ he said, “but in a good way. I like to come to places which don’t expect to see me.’’

Dynamo, aka Steven Frayne, was taken aback by the overwhelming reception he received. Jokingly, he said he had been “scared for my security guard”.

Due to the numbers who were desperate to see him, the Festival organisers were forced to change their initial plans for a walkabout on the Sugar Tongue. Instead, he performed his famous tricks to a crowd of 300 in the arena who gathered to watch him work his magic.

Later on, Dynamo did admit that if he came back in the future, he would find more time to perform on stage. He said he “hadn’t known what to expect’’ at the Festival and had forgotten fans recognised his car from his TV show.

Festival organiser Gerard Richardson said: “We originally planned to take Dynamo for a walkabout on the Sugar Tongue to meet fans. Along with Dynamo’s management we were taken aback by the sheer numbers who wanted to see him and had to make the decision for public safety to move him to the arena, where everyone who wanted to see him could, and about 300 got to see him perform close-up magic,” Gerard explained. “We stopped selling wristbands when we realised that people were no longer buying them for the other acts and ships on the quay, just for Dynamo, so we ended up selling fewer than normal in the end.

“We generally work on the basis that people mill around the harbour a bit, but when they all turned up at the same time public safety became paramount. As a result we had to cancel the performance by the Lottery Winners. That selection was made purely on the basis of who was on first.

“The steps that we took in the heat of the moment to ensure public safety show just how professional this event is and I’m proud of the role played by all including my team and the police in ensuring that visit turned into a success.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk