From easter egg hunts to world class sporting events and Santa Claus to some of the biggest names in pop music, it’s been a great 2017 for Blyth.
Over the year, Blyth Town Council’s events team have attracted more than 50,000 people to the town centre to take part in a number of high profile events for residents and visitors of all ages.
Highlights of the year have included an Easter Egg Hunt in Ridley Park which was enjoyed by hundreds of young people, Blyth Carnival; a partnership project with Headway Arts and the spectacular fireworks festival.
Blyth Swinmming Pool celebrated 50 years of providing the public with a pool to be proud of and there was also a dedication ceremony to honour soldiers from the town who served in World War One as well as the annual Remembrance Sunday parade.
For music lovers, the summer brought the free Northumberland Live concert Festival with headlining band The Undertones playing to a packed audience together with local bands, street theatre and a family orientated fun fair and delicious local foods.
Festive highlights included the Christmas Lights Switch on with X Factor pop band Union J entertaining thousands of people in the market square, a Christmas market, local entertainers and of course Father Christmas and his wife Mary Christmas at the Keel Row.
For sports fans, the streets of Blyth were turned into a race track for the famous Tour of Britain cycle race with stage two of the race ending in the town centre.
As well as action on the road, the market square was turned into a hive of activity for the racing teams, sponsors and bike manufacturers. The public were able to watch all of the action on a giant screen which attracted interest from hundreds of shoppers and sports fans alike.
Blyth Town Council’s Kath Nisbet said,” We want the people of Blyth to be proud of our town’s rich tapestry of sport, music and cultural heritage and the events that we have provided free of charge this year go a long way to achieving this.
“ I’d like to thank Mel Jackson and her events team for the hard work carried out to make sure that everybody enjoyed each event. Each event was very well organised with safety in mind. I’d also like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and to say thank you for attending the events and supporting Blyth Town Council.
“Next year we have ambitious plans to bring even more new events to Blyth and I look forward to sharing more information early in the New Year. It’s going to be an exciting 2018.”.
Please see www.blythtowncouncil.org.uk and www.facebook.com/BlythTC for full details