THEY say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - but this goose means so much more to Felixstowe's panto company.

THEY say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - but this goose means so much more to Felixstowe's panto company.

In fact, the appearance of the goose is even better than receiving one of its golden eggs, because worried actors and actresses had thought the show might not have its star at all.

They were put into a flap after it was revealed the costume for the goose had apparently gone missing in the post.

But now the cast and crew of Mother Goose have a new giant bird - thanks to the Co-op Juniors.

Sylvia Lowe, director of the Dennis Lowe Theatre Company, said: “I was frantic because time was ticking away and with opening night getting ever closer I just didn't know what we should do.

“I needed to find another goose quickly - and the Co-op Juniors have agreed to lend us their goose.

“They don't normally hire it out but have agreed to let us use it because the Juniors are special friends of ours.

“We just cannot thank them enough for stepping in like this - they have been wonderful. Mother Goose without a goose would not have been the same.”

Yolanda Lockwood is due to play the role of the goose and had been rehearsing without her costume - now she is getting to grips with it quickly ready for opening night at the Spa Pavilion on December 23.

For many years, the company used the same goose costume, but the group has not performed the panto for a few years and could not trace the company it was hired from.

Goose costumes are rare, but they managed to find one with a Cambridge-based costume store.

The owners of the store said they had posted it, but it never arrived.

Royal Mail spokesman James Taylor said the unfortunately the costume company could not remember which post office they had used and did not have a receipt for the parcel.

“Unfortunately, this makes it very difficult for us to track it down in our system as there is no reference number to start working on, but we are investigating,” he said.

Mother Goose - the story of the goose that laid the golden eggs - will be the 41st panto by the company founded by Sylvia's late husband Dennis.

What do you think? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk

WEBLINK: www.thespapavilion.org