Creative children are flying the flag for this year's Feast
YOUNGSTERS PREPARING FOR TOWN’S ANNUAL COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
Pupils have been working with an artist to design and make “wish flags” to be paraded at the opening ceremony of an annual community celebration.
For this year’s Houghton Feast, schools, including Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary school in Houghton, have been involved in workshops with Infinite Arts, who have been commissioned to make flags sharing young people's hopes and aspirations.
The flags will then be shared with the thousands of people expected to attend.
Chair of the Coalfields Area Committee and of the Houghton Feast steering group, Councillor Anne Lawson said: “Houghton Feast is a fantastic annual event celebrating all that is good about our community, and who better to design and fly the flags than our children.
“The event celebrates our cultural heritage including the traditional 'roasting of the ox' which the Rector of Houghton, Bernard Gilpin, began as part of the fair in medieval times, but also the musical, creative and sporting talents of today's generation with something for everyone to enjoy.
Headteacher of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary Mrs Barbara Reilly-O'Donnell, said: “We are all very proud of Houghton Feast and delighted that children here and across the community have had this opportunity to be directly involved in helping to promote it."
Young local musicians including the winner of this year's Voice of Houghton competition, Houghton Area Youth Brass Band and the new Houghton Feast Children's Choir, along with dancers from the local Zazz, theatre will help entertain the crowds before the Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor David Snowdon, switches on the Houghton Feast Illuminations.
This year's celebration will be the usual winning combination of music, sporting competitions, fairground, fireworks, carnival parade and displays at venues across the community, including the famous roasting of Ox.
Information about Houghton Feast 2019, which starts on Friday, October 4, at 7pm, can be found at.www. seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/ houghton-feast-2019.