Plenty to Celebrate at This is South Tyneside Festival
Anniversaries and accomplishments from across South Tyneside will be celebrated next month (July) when the borough's annual summer parade gets underway.
The parade - one of the many exciting activities taking place as part of the This Is South Tyneside Festival - has taken its theme as Celebration, marking many landmark dates on the local calendar.
And Claire Finlay, project officer with Cultural Spring which is helping South Tyneside Council to deliver the parade, has promised it will be one of the best ones yet.
"We're very excited to have so many people who have come forward to take part and there's going to be a lot more people involved than last year," she said.
Among the important events which will be highlighted in the parade are the 50-year anniversary of the formation of the borough of South Tyneside, the 30th anniversary of The Custom House and the area's connection with the Venerable Bede.
But it's not just key milestones that will be recognised in the parade.
"Lots of the participants will be marking their own anniversaries and accomplishments," she said.
"For example St Matthew's Primary School will be celebrating their 70th anniversary and even the team at Cultural Spring will also be marking a decade since we set up."
Cultural Spring has been running workshops with numerous groups and organisations across the borough in preparation for their involvement in the parade which takes place on Saturday 6 July.
Among new participants are Hospitality and Hope - a South Tyneside food insecurity and homelessness charity - and NECA Community Garden, both of which will have people taking part in the parade.
It will start outside South Shields Town Hall at 1pm and make its way through the town, ending up at Bents Park where a full programme of entertainment will take place.
The Bents Park attractions include a silent disco powered by electric cycles, an aerial performance, a live performance by acclaimed boogie band, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys and more.
The Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Fay Cunningham said: "Our spectacular Summer Parade is a real celebration of our wonderful communities coming together.
"It is always a fantastic colourful event, much-loved by both residents and visitors alike, and this year is extra special as we mark key anniversaries in our lovely Borough and celebrate!
"The team at the Cultural Spring have some exciting plans for the parade and I can't wait to see them all come together on the day."
As an added dimension to this year's event, an audio treasure trail has been created along the Sandhaven promenade. The trail will run over the parade weekend and people will be able to find QR codes which will take them to the next clue.
"It will be a huge amount of fun with a little prize for those who take part and solve the puzzle," said Claire.
The parade will also showcase a new partnership with Pride In South Tyneside, which is being held in the borough for the first time with a whole host of events taking place throughout July.
The full programme for This Is South Tyneside Festival is available at www.visitsouthtyneside.co.uk