Patina was set up in 2001 by a group of parents and teachers in Lewes who were concerned that art was being given less emphasis in the national curriculum.

​

We are a registered charity working to create:

​

• new opportunities for children and teachers to work directly with local professional artists

• celebratory arts events that bring benefit to the whole community

We raise funds, coordinate artists, promote and advocate for the arts, support parents and teachers – and oversee the production of the Moving On Parade.

​

We have grown and developed over the years. From the six schools who participated in the first years, we now have 15 schools involved with Patina every year. Our flagship activity is the district wide arts project that culminates in the Moving On Parade.

​

Each year we choose a Moving On theme that we develop with the children through a range of activities and presentations. We organise workshops in carnival arts for the children in all our schools, working with our Patina artists to create a stunning moving tide of sculptures, costumes and music that is the much loved Moving On Parade through central Lewes. The procession culminates in a community party in the Paddock Park.

The parade is an important part of the local cultural calendar, much anticipated by the children who participate in it as well as by the whole community. It is a celebration of the local children's transition from primary school and into adolescence. Since 2002, over 8000 children have taken part in this unique rite of passage.

​

In 2022 Caroline Croft, who has been Director of Patina since 2013, was awarded a BEM in the Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to the arts and young people in East Sussex.

​​