Creative fun for families at fantastic free events

This Saturday (5 August) sees family yoga taking place in the tranquil green space of Newark Castle Gardens. Led by Peaceful Possums, the 45-minute session will begin at 10.30am and those wanting to join in simply need to arrive by then.

With the arrival of the golden sand and colourful deckchairs of Newark-on-Sea, a host of activities are planned to boost the town’s sunny mood. On Tuesday 8 August, Handmade Theatre will fly into the Market Place with their fun and feathery puppet birding show. Children can meet lots of British bird puppets including a Robin, Kestrel, Oyster Catcher, and maybe even a seaside Seagull, as well as enjoying songs and fun facts in performances at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm.

Wednesday 9 August will be packed with activities including heritage and arts inspired crafts throughout the day, the chance to design your own Newark shop front with artist Kerry O'Brien at Inspire Buttermarket drop-in sessions from 11am to 1pm, and even an opportunity to learn all about mermaids on walkabouts with the Inspire Team and Steve the Frogman at 12noon, 1pm and 2pm!

Plus, you’ll be able to add something to the Newark Creates 2023 Time Capsule. Just bring something small that represents your life now from significant objects to cards, tiny toys, photos of your favourite things or stories and poems featuring what you love about living locally.

Doodling Poet Chris White will take to the beach on Thursday 10 August for a few fun and frantic poems on the beach. There will be daft doodles and summer silliness on the sand, as well as rhymes about sharks, pirates and mermaids at sessions from 11 to 11.30am and from 12.30 to 1pm.

Newark Creates’ Artist in Residence Nicky Rafferty will also be bringing some sizzling summer stories to our very own seaside on Sunday 13 August with storytelling sessions at 10am, 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm, plus crafts throughout the day. She’ll be back sharing more stories on Friday 25 August for Newark Festival, in the Market Place at 11.30am and at 2pm in Kingsman Interiors.

The fun doesn’t end with summer either as Newark Creates activities continues to spill out into September. On Sunday 9 September, Nicky is back for some Castle-tastic Tales where families can gather in the grounds of Newark Castle to hear stories of the Good and the Bad from 11am to 3.30pm. Following on from the beautiful rainbow road created earlier in the year, Urban Canvas will also be back, creating 3D Pavement Art inspired by over 200 years of smokehouse cellar history, outside Porters from Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 September. Both events are part of the national Heritage Open Days scheme.

Set up in 2021, Newark Creates is a cultural programme, led by Newark Cultural Consortium and forming part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zone.

Carol Newman, Director of Culture at Inspire: Culture, Learning and Libraries, the lead partner in the Consortium, said: “It’s wonderful to have so many engaging arts activities available for families, right in the heart of Newark. The summer holidays can be a tricky time to keep children entertained, especially given the current cost of living crisis, so we want to do everything we can to support local parents and carers to find free, quality things to do without the need for much travel.”

Funding to support all of Newark Creates’ events has been provided by Historic England, Arts Council England, Newark Town Board and from the District Council’s allocation of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Find out more at www.newarkcreates.co.uk and get the latest updates on events by following @NewarkCreatesUK on Facebook.