Maritime fun at Mowbray Park

Saturday 3 August saw over 1,000 people join the Friends of Mowbray Park as the sun shone in Sunderland at a free cultural community event.  Organised by the Friends as part of the Park It! programme, Mowbray’s Maritime Funday celebrated the unique value of the beautiful Mowbray Park and its value and significance to the people of Sunderland.

Take a look at the event photos...

Mowbray’s Maritime Funday highlighted Sunderland’s links to the sea and explored its maritime heritage through music, interactive workshops, displays and much more.

Young visitors had great fun making flags on board the willow ship with local artist Pippa Willits, while others made clay tiles which will form a permanent fixture of the park.  Under-fives performed a special ‘Dance of the Sea’ which proved to be a real crowd-puller.

A variety of sea-inspired music kept toes tapping throughout the day.  Children took part in a singing workshop with musician Keith Gregson, and performed folk sea songs about local naval hero Jack Crawford, famed for his role in the Battle of Camperdown.  The Sunderland Youth Orchestra and Johnny Handel performed lively songs from the sea including What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor and The Hornpipe Dance.

Elsie Ronalds, Chair of the Friends of Mowbray Park, said “It’s been a really enjoyable day and it has been wonderful to see so many people using the park.  The Hornpipe Dance was a highlight for me, and it was great to see the conductor really putting his heart into it!”

Visitors learnt about this fascinating park by joining the guided walks led by the Friends group, and local environmental organisation CEED, while a photograph display brought its intriguing history to life. 

Mowbray’s Maritime Funday inspired people to discover more about the history of Mowbray Park and celebrate its significance and importance to everybody.The event was organised by the Friends of Mowbray Park and Tyne & Wear Museums in partnership with Sunderland City Council. It was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the national Park It! programme which is organised by GreenSpace. Sunderland Community Foundation, Sunderland Lions Club and Friends of Mowbray Park also funded family arts and crafts and musical entertainment for the day.