South Shields FC to take part in Summer Parade

The Mariners - who were crowned Evo-Stick North Division champions at the end of the 2017/18 season - will help get the party started on Saturday.

South Shields FC chairman, Geoff Thompson said: “It’s a real honour for the club to again be involved in the summer parade,

“It was such a humbling experience to be part of it last year, and we’re hugely grateful to have been invited again.

“This event gives us a real opportunity to thank all of our magnificent supporters for the backing they gave us last season, and to see them again ahead of what should be another exciting campaign. We’d like to say a huge thanks to South Tyneside Council and all those involved in the event for inviting us again.”

This year’s parade theme is Monsters, Myths and Magic.

Among those also taking part is RJC Dance group.

It is the first time they have been invited to take part in the event which will see more than 2,000 people of all ages dress up in an array of colourful costumes and march from South Shields Town Hall to the Bents Park.

Meanwhile, the intergenerational ‘Light it Up’ carnival troupe will wear a tapestry of Caribbean-inspired designs and dance to Soca music, a genre which originated in Trinidad and Tobago.

They have been invited invited to perform by South Shields production company, Creative Seed, run by husband and wife team Garner and Sandy Harris, who are organising the parade.

The couple have been supporting community groups across South Tyneside to help them get themselves ready for the event.

Kathy Williams, RJC Dance Director said: “This is the first time RJC Dance Youth Provision’s carnival troupe has visited South Tyneside and we’re really looking forward to sharing our work with new audiences. “We’re proud to be part of the Great Exhibition of the North and show the diverse talent that this region has to offer.”

The South Shields Summer Parade takes place on Saturday, from 1-4pm. The procession will start from the Town Hall, make its way along Fowler Street and Ocean Road and into the Bents Park, where there will be activities and music including a performance by Southpaw Dance Company of a dramatic adaptation of Icarus at 2.40pm, live music, street entertainment and a performance by Michael Jackson tribute, James Aston.