Carnival to take flight thanks to recycling work

MAKEOVER

The swan which has become a bird of paradise for this year’s event

A TOWN’S annual carnival has bounced back from Covid disappointment to take to the streets this weekend.

The pandemic made it impossible to stage Whitey Bay Carnival over the late May bank holiday as usual.

But organisers, volunteers and schools involved in the event were determined that it should go ahead and Saturday will see their efforts pay off.

Youngsters taking part had pressed for the parade to have a green theme, which has included Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay recycling a giant swan parents made for the 2017 carnival into a bird of paradise.

“By popular demand the theme had to be green even in this time of pandemic disruption. It is the thing our young promenaders are most concerned and worried about,” said Carol Alevroyianni, director of organisers charity Salto Arts Productions, which produces carnival and other community arts events and activities.

“They wanted to focus on the positive, what we have to lose and what we want to protect in the sea, the air and the land.

“It has been a real challenge for everyone involved finding new ways of working apart during lockdowns, running drop-in carnival clubs over the summer holidays and not being able to rehearse the community bands at all until a couple of weeks ago.

“We set ourselves the additional challenge of recycling rather than buying in new materials but everyone has been determined to make something wonderful and the end result will show what an amazingly resilient and creative community we have in Whitley Bay.

“It helps that we have some very talented artists in the town who have spent the summer transforming a chaos of all sorts of leftover materials

This will show what an amazingly resilient and creative community we have

into beautiful costumes, in between running open sessions so that anyone could come and make something to wear or carry in the parade.”

In addition to the parade, spectators will be able to see the nine green flags of hope for the environment created over the summer by groups of neighbours in a series of garden and street sessions with artists Sally Southern and Cath Hodson.

Backing for the event has come from the Creative Civic Change programme, Whitley Bay Big Local, the Arts Council and local business Pantrinis, Di Meo’s and Fishermans Bay.

The parade begins at 4pm on Saturday at Station Road and it will process along Whitley Road, Park View, Marine Avenue and across the Spanish City Plaza to the revamped central promenade. Bands will include Whitley Bay Big Noise drummers and the Spanish City Rollers.

Lindsay Ford, teacher at Rockcliffe First School, said: “As the school is a strong part of the community, the carnival is one of the highlights of the year. The preparations this year have been absolutely amazing and we have seen a higher level of engagement than ever before.

“Pupils, siblings, parents, grandparents, everyone has been behind it. There was a buzz in school and lots of excitement.

“I have spent hours answering emails from parents talking about their ideas and wanting inspiration and chatting at the school gates about costumes. It has been really lovely. But one of the most special things about this year is that fact that it is ‘green’ and we have tried to recycle and reuse everything.

“We are a green school with an eco club. The children have a really good understanding of what we need to do to look after our not only the local area but also the planet.

“Families have been so generous and have donated old bits of fabric, curtains and clothing. They have also been very creative about what they have used themselves.”