Criccieth Starlight Players are busy rehearsing their pantomime Robinson Crusoe, to be performed at Criccieth Memorial Hall from 25 to -28 January, but something scary is stirring on the streets of the Gwynedd town.

The show’s producer, Kate Dunn, explained more.

“When planning our pantomime I wanted there to be a positive environmental message as we live in such a beautiful place and when we aren’t rehearsing for shows many of us enjoy walking, wild swimming and kayaking,” she said.

“One of the scenes in the show is set in an underwater cave where chests of pirate loot and treasure are guarded by three evil mermaids and their ferocious sea monster. I had the idea that the monster could be made from rubbish and plastic we sadly find littering our beautiful beaches on a daily basis, so we organised litter picks on the beach in Criccieth over the summer and my husband Paul and I sorted through it all at home and washed each piece.

“Some of the larger pieces were cleverly made into the head, backbone and tail of the monster by my brother-in-law Dave, and then a team of practical and ingenious helpers created a framework of hoops and netting that the litter was then individually attached to.

“The monster will make its debut appearance at Croeso Dolig in Criccieth from 5pm on Thursday, 23 November and we will be running a competition that evening for local children to give the monster a name; the winner will appear (with the monster) in the programme for our show. So come along to Croeso Dolig to meet the monster in person, then please come and support our pantomime in January.”