Free family fun coming to Sutton-on-Sea this summer

Sutton-on-Sea is all set for a busy summer of free family events and activities, as part of the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership’s Arts Council England NPO project.

The events, taking place across June, July and August, are designed to use arts and culture to educate residents and visitors about the history of the town, through performances and active participation.

The Summer-on-Sea events gets underway with ‘Postcards in the Sand’ on Saturday 22 June from 11.30am to 3.30pm, a large-scale sand drawing event on the beach that will allow people to create largescale postcards to highlight and reflect the upcoming Vintage-on-Sea Festival on Saturday 29 June.

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.

Up next, with collaboration from community groups and representatives, Sutton-on-Sea goes back in time on Saturday 29 June with Vintage-on-Sea, bringing together a variety of different singers, bands, dance groups, magicians and more.

A market will take place on the day, with over 30 different stalls for people to explore and enjoy including vintage items, food and drink and games and activities. A series of craft workshops will also be available giving people the opportunity to create their own miniature seaside windmills to take home with them, as well as face painting and lots more family-friendly fun.

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 1 August, 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.

Last but not least, visitors can take part in the Sand Sculpture Trail from Friday 2 August to Friday 16 August, 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.”