Festival of Light brightens whole town
The dark nights have been pushed aside, as hundreds of Amble residents signed up to make bright and cheery window displays and lanterns for Amble’s first Festival of Light.
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- Coquet Island rainbow lights
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- Phoebe Aston (6) with her home made lanterns
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- Hand painted Narnia scene
The theme was myths and legends, which inspired images of dragons, mermaids, firebirds and even a kraken surfacing off Amble pier. Beautiful hand painted images of Narnia, fabulous fairy tales and gorgeous jewel-coloured lanterns were all on show in people’s front gardens and windows.
Frances Anderson of Dry Water Arts, who organised the festival said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support for this festival, which we hope will continue for many years. The Covid restrictions meant that the annual lights parade couldn’t go ahead, so this was a way for people to bring light, togetherness and celebration to our streets and doorsteps.”
She added “Our dementia positive programme Curiosity Cafe have been working hard to put art packs together for the community to light up lockdown.”
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- Majestic phoenix
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- Festive lights on Philip Drive
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- Memorial gardens
The Christmas Lights team were determined that the town would still have its traditional festive lights, and as a goodwill gesture, none of the shops and businesses this year were charged.
The Town Council installed and decorated two new fir trees in the town, and the clock tower was lit up in beautiful colours in the Memorial Gardens.
Philip Drive resident Connor Simpson also got into the Christmas mood by being one of the first to decorate the outside of his house. He told The Ambler: “We normally have a few bits up but because of the pandemic I thought I would brighten the street up by adding extra lights.”
The festival began on 18 November and was funded by Amble Events Committee, Arts Council England and Northumberland County Council’s Cultural Fund. See more of the lantern and window displays here:
Anna Williams
