Walmer Children's Festival
Windy but Wonderful
Saturday 5th July 25.
A very windy Walmer Green was the setting for an afternoon of
fantastic fun at The Walmer Town Council’s Children’s Festival on Saturday 5th
July 25, where the windy conditions provided the perfect theatrical setting for
Caspian’s Storm, a fast-paced, interactive show about a magical storm with a
very talkative crab! The show went down an absolute storm with families, both
the young and the young at heart enjoying the music, laughter and puppetry.
Kent Kite Fliers were also facing their own battle with varying gusts of wind to fly some of their incredible kites including the biggest astronaut kite we’ve ever seen, a huge alien kite, plus both Mickey and Minnie Mouse making an appearance too. What a stunning sight they all were high above Walmer beach.
Meanwhile back on planet earth, Deal Pirates were on the hunt for willing volunteers to capture in their stocks with plenty of laughs, skullduggery and family games to enjoy. They even put Captain Jack Sparrow in the stocks, which was no doubt very well deserved! The Pirates’ very own human fruit machine warrants a special mention on its debut and was a huge hit with audiences. We hope there were several jackpot winners on the day!
Elsewhere on the green there were deep sea divers performing with bubbles, BMX bike stunt displays, the ever-popular face painters, circus skills workshops, music making with the junk orchestra and our very own DJ playing some huge hits to keep everyone entertained.
We are grateful to the many local organisations who gave their time so generously to support this event; Dover District Council with their Community Roots Van; the Goodwin Sands Conservation Trust; English Heritage’s Walmer Castle; Dean Academy of Performing Arts; Deal Family Hub; Deal and Betteshanger Rugby Club; Deal Radio; Chris Mansfield’s photos; plus Deal Carnival Court who embraced all the activities on offer with enthusiasm and grace.
Last but by no means least, we salute all our wonderful local emergency services crews who took time out of their busy days to support this community event. From the speed gun competition run by the Dover Police Cadets to the CPR demonstrations from the Deal First Responders, they all brought something completely unique to the afternoon. The RNLI Walmer and Deal HM Coastguard crews offered a brilliant mix of pebble painting, games, water safety advice, along with specialist life-saving equipment including a coastguard vehicle to sit in. We were also very lucky to enjoy a visit from the Deal Fire & Rescue crew along with a HUGE red fire engine which immediately drew the crowds.
A great time was most certainly had by all!
Cllr Tony Grist, Chairman of the Walmer Town Council Events Committee said, “It was wonderful to see so many children enjoying themselves, whether they were watching one of the fantastic shows, having their faces painted, enjoying one of the many family games, or participating in an activity or craft. Walmer Town Council would like to thank everyone who attended, and we hope you all had as much fun as we did.”
Pictures below courtesy of Chris Mansfield’s Photos