Bringing South Tyneside's parades history to life

Production company The Creative Seed - which organises the annual South Tyneside Summer Festival Parade - is inviting people to dig out their old photographs of bygone events of the region’s well-known parades and those that have failed to stand the test of time.

The project has received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and will examine the history and social impact of parades, processions and marches traditionally held across South Tyneside.

It will focus on everything from miners’ galas and village carnivals to today’s multicultural Summer Parade, as it traces the history of an iconic community institution.

Garner Harris said: “There was a time when every weekend you would find a different parade going on somewhere in the region, and floats and marching bands were something that everyone was familiar with.

“This heritage has been lost over the years, so our project is about tracing the history, and looking at how these events were shaped by individual communities.”

Garner and the Creative Seed team are now appealing for help from the public and are inviting people to submit old photographs and videos, or even just talk about their memories.

These will then be used in a large exhibition later this year, which will also feature costumes created by Creative Seed’s team of designers.

Anyone who wishes to submit images or video footage, or who would like to share their personal memories, can email [email protected]

For for more information on the exhibition visit www.creativeseed.org.