THERE PROMISES TO BE MANY MORE SLICES of Houghton Feast to come.
Sunderland City Council’s Coalfield Area Committee and its growing number of community partners have big plans for this year’s feast and many more in the years ahead.
The programme for the Houghton Feast will be launched by the Chair of the Area Committee Councillor Anne Lawson this Friday 10am at Houghton War Memorial, St Michaels and All Angels Church, Houghton.
Cllr Lawson will be joined by members of the Steering Group who have helped put the programme of activities and events in place, and representatives from some of the groups taking part including a classic car, historic re-enactor in costume and character as Bernard Gilpin, and the official unveiling of the Houghton Feast 50 logo designed by Jack Craine (seven), a pupil at Dubmire Academy.
The full Houghton Feast programme is available at www.houghtonfeast.co.uk
Also present will be the Houghton War Memorial Group who have led on a unique, heritage led project ‘Our War Memorial, Our Family’ which has seen members of the group compiling family histories for each of the men listed on the Houghton War memorial.
An illustrated talk about their experience will take place as one of the wide range of activities, talks and celebrations that make up the ten day event programme.
Also planned over the ten days of the time-travelling themed Houghton Feast 50 will be music, a fairground, fireworks and laser displays, sporting contests, a chance to meet superheroes and Daleks and to find out more about the area’s and the Feasts recent and distant past – and of course, sample the traditional Ox Roast.
Chair of the Coalfield Area Committee and Houghton Feast Steering Group, Councillor Anne Lawson said: “We all look forward to this fantastic annual community event which we hope will continue for many years to come. This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Houghton Feast as we know it today, which is a marvellous mix of music, culture, entertainment and sport for everyone to enjoy.
“Working together with our community partners which includes the recently formed Houghton Feast Trust, we want to keep this annual celebration going for future generations to enjoy with an eye on Houghton Feast 100.
“This is where the volunteers and Steering Group comes in, with their shared skills and knowledge helping us look at different ways of raising the funds to continue making it bigger and better every year.”
The free commemorative printed programme of events will be available from shops in Houghton town centre as well as surgeries, libraries, churches and schools from next week.
The fully illustrated brochure includes event information as well as vintage photographs of Houghton Feast from times gone by.
Events have also been added to the Houghton Feast Facebook page where visitors can interact with the event including clicking to confirm their attendance to get a pop-up reminder on their smartphone.