Free family fun coming to Sutton-on-Sea

As part of the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership’s Arts Council England NPO project, the town is set to host a number of performances and active participation.

‘Postcards in the Sand’ will kick things off on Saturday (June 22) from 11.30am to 3.30pm, with a large-scale sand drawing event on the beach that will allow people to create postcards to highlight and reflect the upcoming Vintage-on-Sea Festival on Saturday June 29.

It is free to attend and take part, with 20-minute sessions for up to 30 participants at a time running throughout the day. A team will also be attending to capture stories and welcome contributions of old postcards, mementos or memories of holidays to the Lincolnshire Coast as part of a future artwork.

Vintage-on-Sea will then bring together a variety of different singers, bands, dance groups, and magicians.

More than 30 different stalls and series of craft workshops will be available, and people will be able to create their own miniature seaside windmills to take home with them.

To wrap up the summer, Circo Rum Ba Ba are bringing a true-to-life 50ft inflatable Sperm Whale to the Sutton-on-Sea Football Association Field on Thursday August 1, which will be enclosed in a lobster-net fence and guarded by a nosy fishwife.

Visitors can step inside the whale to discover a seascape interior and a unique encounter with a shipwrecked pirate.

To cap off the activities, the Sand Sculpture Trail will take place from Friday August 2 to Friday August 16, where you can search for ten hidden sand sculptures along the seafront. Each sculpture will accompany information to educate everyone on the history and heritage of the Lincolnshire coast.

These events are part of the Partnership’s NPO project through funding from Arts Council England, which looks to support arts, culture, heritage and creativity across the whole of South and East Lincolnshire, providing meaningful opportunity and programming for residents, developing the sector and helping to build our arts, culture and heritage offer.

Sutton-on-Sea was identified as East Lindsey’s creative hub site to deliver creative activity as part of the funding, supported through the new Colonnade building currently under construction, with the programme being supported by an eight-member culture board which draws experience from a variety of sectors.

Further to the Partnership’s NPO events, the Sutton-on-Sea & Trusthorpe Annual Carnival will also be taking place in July, organised by the Sutton on Sea and Trusthorpe Carnival Committee, which includes live entertainment, funfair, vintage cars, trikes, stall and more.

Rob Pitman, chair of the NPO Culture Board, said: “The Summer of Creativity in Sutton-on-Sea is the result of partnering with the local community and businesses to co-produce a programme of diverse creative activities for all.

"This is an area of work the NPO is committed to developing and building on as we move forward.”