South Tyneside Festival Parade

A traditional town crier is set to lead South Tyneside’s colourful summer Festival Parade when the popular annual event takes place on Saturday 7 July.

The event will be a homecoming for town crier Jim Chambers, who grew up in Whitburn and will be revisiting his South Tyneside roots to carry out his official duties.

67 year-old Jim (pictured), who now lives in Washington, will signal the event’s official start outside South Shields Town Hall, before leading an 800-strong parade of local people through the town and down to a Summer Fayre at Bents Park.

An 800-strong parade of local people will march through the town and down to a Summer Fayre at Bents Park, which is part of a three-month programme of free live music and family events.

“South Tyneside is a special place for me – my mother worked on a stall in South Shields market for years -  so I’m thrilled to be playing such a big part in the annual parade,” said Jim, a charity worker. 

“A town crier can add colour and excitement to an event and attract tourists into the area. The tradition goes back as far as the Old Testament, and town criers were even responsible for putting people in the stocks at one time. I was a bit shy about it at first but now I have relaxed into the role and it’s a lot of fun.”

Jim’s ceremonial bell will start proceedings at around 1pm on Saturday, followed by 45 community groups featuring colourful costumes and props highlighting this year’s big events like the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The parade will be followed by a Summer Fayre at Bents Park, with stalls, entertainment and live music from local band The Understudies. The following day, Sunday, July 8, Bents Park will play host to a special Festival Funday, featuring live music from North East acts Bessie and The Zinc Buckets and Big Red and the Grinners, as well as Zumba demonstrations, chainsaw woodcarving and a display of historic vehicles by the North East Bus Preservation Society.

Upcoming festival highlights include a series of open air concerts in Bents Park headlined by Scouting for Girls (July 15), Matt Cardle (July 22) and The Feeling (July 29), with weekly live music shows and family events throughout August.

All events are free. To find out more, visit www.southtyneside.info/summerfestival, search for South Tyneside Events on Facebook or call 0191 454 6612.