Families flock to Bognor's Sands of Time

'Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside' was the theme in Bognor Regis at the weekend.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Jun 2008, 10:36 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 19:03 BST

Thousands of people flocked to the prom for the annual Sands of Time seaside festival on Saturday May 31 and Sunday June 1.

From Morris dancers and Punch and Judy to donkey rides and ice creams, this year's event had a strong connection with coastal living in days past with the theme of Pirates and Smugglers.

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A special appearance from Captain Jack Sparrow, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, was one of the main crowd-pullers.

Among the other free entertainments were donkey rides along the promenade and the annual sand sculpture competition, which saw dozens of adults and children compete to build a pirate-themed sandcastle using natural materials found on the beach.

The busy two-day timetable also featured the Regis Troopers dancers, Hi Bri's Family Roadshow, a steel band, the Sussex Folk Orchestra and a classic and vintage car drive. In the grounds of the Royal Norfolk Hotel a giant pirate ship inflatable and the chance to make your own treasure map proved popular with children, while Waterloo Square Gardens was busy with people mingling around pottery painting and craft stalls.

The hotel's grounds were also the setting for a Songs of Praise service led by the Salvation Army. This year's festival was the 11th of the annual occasions backed by the Bognor Regis Observer.

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Sue Holmes, the town council's events officer, said: "The weekend was a great success, it's difficult to gauge numbers but thousands of people visited over the weekend.

"Despite concerns about the weather it turned out warm and bright and I'd say the event was definitely busier than last year. It was a real family fun-filled weekend with lots of new entertainment providing something for everyone to do."

Mrs Holmes added: "Sands of Time is a reminder that the wonderful seaside is there, when you live so close to it you tend to forget it, so the festival really takes advantage of it."

This seafront festival was recently rated as sixth in the nation's most enjoyable days out.

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