Lewes Moving On Parade in photos: streets packed as children wear colourful costumes inspired by museum artefacts

The event took place on Friday, July 4, and saw children and well-wishers pack the streets as pupils celebrated the transition from primary to secondary school.

The theme for the 24th year of the parade was ‘A Night In The Museum’.

Kids created carnival art and wore costumes inspired by artefacts in Lewes Castle Museum, which reflect key moments in residents’ lives.

Patina’s director Caroline Croft said: “It was wonderful to see how the children took the local history presentations and turned it into an extraordinary pageant of creativity to celebrate their Moving On moment. So many fantastic artists and volunteers are involved and we can’t thank everyone enough for all their support and kindness in helping us make Moving On such a special experience for the children and the community.”

Patina said it had worked with the Sussex Archaeological Society to choose artefacts from the Lewes Castle Museum collection to inspire the parade. The charity said historian and professional storyteller Jon

Mason recently toured the 14 schools participating, with Patina presenting the theme and telling the children about the artefacts. Pupils then worked with Patina’s team of professional artists – Mary Fellows, Sally Edwards, Leigh Hodgkinson, Sara Harris, Sandrine Case, Kathryn Jordan, Shan Isherwood and Paul Render – so they could design their costumes. Lewes Castle Museum also gave Patina a 120 million year old iguanodon femur fossil to take into schools.

The charity said it has always wanted to walk a dinosaur through the town in the parade. This year’s event marked the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the iguanodon by Lewes residents being reported to the Royal Society in London by Gideon Mantell. Patina said there is evidence that Gideon’s wife and professional natural history illustrator Mary Mantell found the fossil.

Two life-sized iguanodon puppets took part in the parade, with one being designed by artist Abbie Stanon and the other by the Wonky Paleontologists. Patina named them Mary and Gideon and each school carried an iguanodon egg and hatchling. The charity said the eggs were made in a workshop with artist Katie Griffiths. Pupils from each school added them to a central iguanodon nest art installation in the Paddock after the parade.

There was also a 60-person samba band made up of school pupils playing in the Paddock, as well as a mass dance led by dance teacher Gemma Coe. Patina’s Twilight Tales storytelling event ended the day.

Moving On is the flagship of Patina, which is an independent arts charity for young people led by Caroline Croft, Katy Hay, Amy Martin and Gemma Collins.