A passionate group of Sunderland Labour councillors have delivered a day of family fun and celebration at a recently opened country park.
Elemore Family Music Festival was organised by local labour ward councillors and included performances from The Lake Poets, DENNIS and Houghton Brass Band, as well as free activities like face painting, balloon modelling and even a drop-in circus skills workshop.
Held during the August Bank Holiday weekend, the event celebrated the recently opened Elemore Country Park.
The former golf course has been open to the public since April following its transformation into a new green space for the community to enjoy.
The site – which now includes a café, garden shop and visitor centre – covers 61-hectare and was previously home to Elemore Colliery and then Elemore Golf Club, before the latter closed in 2019.
Hetton ward councillor Claire Rowntree, who is also deputy leader of Sunderland City Council and chair of the Elemore Project Group, said: “Elemore Country Park is a fantastic green space that is now available for the community and visitors to enjoy.
“I’m delighted that we were able to celebrate this new park with this wonderful family music festival, it was lovely to see so many adults and children enjoying a day here.
“Access to green space can bring huge benefits to people’s physical and mental health and I hope this space can hold many future events.”
Councillor James Blackburn, a member of the Elemore Project Board and fellow Hetton ward councillor, said: “It’s great that this site has been converted into a green space that is now available for the whole community to enjoy. It was lovely to see it full of people having a great time and the acts were brilliant.”