Jesmond Community Festival is set to be as good as ever! There is so much going on and there really is something for everyone! You can join in whether you live in the area or you are further afield.
After most preparations were complete, the 2020 Jesmond Community Festival had to be cancelled when the first Covid-19 lockdown was announced.
So organisers, Jesmond Community Forum were determined that a festival should take place in May 2021, even if it has to be very different to its predecessors. And on Saturday this year’s festival will launch, with over 50 events taking place throughout the month of May.
Events are organised by over 20 of the Forum’s member organisations and friends, ranging from West Jesmond Primary School and Jesmond Pool and Gym to the Friends of Jesmond Library and Jesmond Community Orchard. Other groups organising events include Newcastle Cricket Club, the Church of the Holy Name, JesmondLocal, the St George’s Church Bell Ringers, Jesmond Women’s Institute, the Ouseburn Trust, the Elders Council of Newcastle, Jesmond U3A, Holy Trinity Church, Jesmond Dementia Action Alliance, the Friends of St George’s Church and the Friends of Jesmond Old Cemetery.
Events should appeal to all age groups, with everything from children’s stories read by the Headteacher of West Jesmond School to the Wellbeing events organised for older people by Jesmond Library and the Elders Council. There’s even a Murder Mystery evening, an online Disco, Italian Poetry and Music, a month-long fitness challenge, and music with international students from INTO, Newcastle University.
In line with current public health advice, many events are taking place online, which does make it easier for people to join in from all over the city and beyond. (One request to join an online talk has already come from the University of California!) Several events are taking place out of doors, with events taking place outdoors later in May able to accommodate slightly larger numbers than those at the beginning of the month. All the events are free, although some organisers are asking for voluntary donations.
You can view the full festival programme on the website or facebook and you can send in queries here.
If you do go to any of the events and you would like to write about them please contact North East Bylines by emailing editor@northeastbylines.co.uk
Please note that St George’s Church Bellringers event is 5 May, not 7 May as in Jesmond Library Newsletter.
