We had a fabulous time celebrating the Discover Brightwater BIG Weekend! It was funfilled with foraging, fairground rides and lots of family fun!
Saturday
We kicked off the weekend with a visit to The Head of Steam Museum in Darlington on Saturday.
Together with The Archaeological Practice, we revisited some of the finds from this summer Archdeacon Newton Dig. Our friends, volunteers and special guest MP Peter Gibson joined us for brunch, and we spent the morning sharing stories and experiences from the 12-week dig.
During the afternoon, our Foraging Walk Leader Laura Ince-Henry guided our guests through the beautiful Hardwick Park. The award-winning Green Flag park lies in the heart of Brightwater and is a key access point into our magnificent landscape; the beautiful woodland area is rich with a variety of species; it’s the perfect area to explore!
One guest said:
“I want to thank Brightwater and Groundworks for an extremely informative forage walk; both myself and my wife
thoroughly enjoyed it, lots of very good information in relation to the law, the do’s and don’ts. We both enjoyed the walk, not too strenuous and meeting the diverse group who attended the walk—a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”
To round up the day, we packed up the trailer and headed to Bishop Middleham for the Community Michaelmas Fare. We thoroughly enjoyed cheering on the vehicle parade of heroes, followed by fun in the park! We look forward to returning next year.
Sunday
On Sunday, the Brightwater team returned to Hardwick Park for more family fun! The sun was shining, and our guests were treated to giveaways, music and free face-painting.
We were joined by The Brightwater Mascots and a show-popping performance by The Bubble Whisperer!
Monday
We extended the weekend into Monday, where Skerney & Ondine assisted the lovely Liz Million to Abbey School and Newton Aycliffe Library. They were tasked with helping Liz to promote our Durham Ox book, which we published last year. It was a fantastic day sharing the story of the magical Durham Ox.
The children from our local schools were given a bag of Brightwater goodies and treat to an illustration workshop where they learnt to draw the Durham Ox Characters.
What a weekend! The mascots are having a well-earned rest, but we’ll be out and about next month for some spooky fun! Watch this space.
Thank you to everyone who joined us x
