Street carnival brings whole East Durham community to life

Months of planning and hard work went into creating the street carnival, which was staged by Easington Colliery Primary School in their community.

Drums, dancing and fantastic costumes were part of the day, which saw dozens of teachers and more than 500 pupils parade around the streets.

The parade also included a giant lion’s head, commissioned to take part in the London 2012, which was being used for the first time since the Olympics.

And, a number of teachers wore giant colourful butterfly wings to add to the fun.

Amy Duke, a teacher at the school who had the vision for the carnival, said she was so proud of how well the children did.

She said it wasn’t just about the day, but the children spent weeks taking part in workshops and making costumes and masks to make the event a success.

Amy said: “It was an absolutely fantastic day, the comments and responses we have had were amazing.

“Everyone was out watching the children and there were even people in tears saying how beautiful it was and how proud they were of our children and out school.”

Amy came up with the idea as a way of teaching the children about the upcoming Olympics and about carnivals.

She said: “What wanted the children to experience the friendship, togetherness and team spirit associated with the Olympic Games and they really worked together. There was a huge sense of community spirit on the day.

“We were lucky because we got perfect weather for it as well.

“I was just super proud of the children, they were fantastic. I have had this idea since October and to see it all come together was brilliant.”

Parents and residents lined the streets to cheer the children on and Amy said the day was something they will always remember.

Easington Colliery Primary School commissioned a professional photographer to work at the school, both during the week and on the day of the carnival, to create a lasting photographic reminder of it.