“It was heart-stopping! It’s hard to remember she’s a puppet, she is so real and lifelike"

© David Levene

JR OutLoud Little Amal is welcomed to London Download

Since she set off in July, JR has been following the extraordinary journey across Europe of Little Amal, the giant puppet of a nine-year-old refugee girl. She is searching for her mother and, on the way, highlighting the plight of her fellow refugees. JR’s Judi Herman spoke to the theatremaker behind the project, David Lan in the Summer 2021 issue of JR, and has been looking forward to Little Amal’s arrival in the UK ever since. Last weekend she joined the crowds thronging the steps of St Paul’s, along with leaders of different faith communities, to welcome Little Amal to the capital, listen to the band and speak to members of the crowd, including Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Sheikh Ibrahim Moghra and Rev Lucy Winkett of St James’s Church, Piccadilly.

Later, Herman caught up with Lan, who joined her via Zoom from Oxford, where Little Amal was due next, to meet a girl who equalled her in size – a huge puppet of Lewis Carroll’s Alice – there to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alice Through the Looking Glass. But first join us on the steps of St Paul’s…

The Walk with Amal runs until Wednesday 3 November. Times, prices and venues vary. walkwithamal.org

Read our interview with David Lan in the Summer 2021 issue of JR and read more about The Walk with Amal on the JR blog.