Little Legends Take Over Lewes

We were thrilled to celebrate another extraordinary year of Moving On. A truly legendary rite of passage for Lewes children as they stepped from Primary to Secondary School. On Friday 3 July, the streets of Lewes were once again filled with colour, creativity and community spirit as our 24th Moving On Parade brought together families, schools, artists and supporters from across the town.

This year's theme "Absolute Legends", inspired children to explore myths and legendary figures from Sussex and around the world. Professional storyteller, Jon Mason spent the 2 weeks visiting the 15 participating schools, sharing tales of courage, identity and adventure to spark ideas for the children's costumes. Working with Patina's team of artists - Mary Fellows, Sally Edwards, Leigh Hodgkinson, Sara Harris, Sandrine Case, Kathryn Jordan, Paul Render and Patrick Bullock - each school created its own visual celebration of a myth or legend.

At the heart of the parade was a spectacular giant Medusa, designed by artist Abbie Stanton. Every school decorated one of Medusa's snakes, and at 11.30am in the Paddock, the children presented their creations in a special ceremony before leading Medusa through the streets of Lewes. The brilliant Priory School samba band provided the carnival soundtrack, keeping the beat alive throughout the town.

As always, the day began with our heroic parent volunteers arriving at the Paddock at dawn to peel, chop an arrange fruit donated by Bill's, who have generously suppported Moving On every year since 2002. Their fruit feast remained a beloved tradition - a healthy, colourful reward after all that walking, singing, chanting and costume-wearing.

When the children arrived in costume, the Paddock transformed into a living storybook. The streets were lined with well-wishers cheering the children on, from councillors to the bubble-blowing ladies at Tizz's, the fruit and veg team on Cliffe Precinct. Heroes, monsters, magic made the parade unforgettable.

After the Parade, celebrations continued in the Paddock. A 60 person samba band made up of Primary pupils performed, followed by a mass dance led by Lewes' own dancing queen Gemma Coe, whose choreography has become a treasured Moving On tradition. Lewes Town Crier, Jon Borthwick (AKA Shouty Man) delivered his legendary speech to the Year 6 leavers and festival favourite DJ Llama G, himself a Moving On alumnus from 2018, rounded off the afternoon with an epic DJ set.

This year also saw a launch of the Book of Legends, written and illustrated by the children. It revealed who they considered the legends in their own lives at this pivotal moment. Parents and siblings topped the list, alongside great-grandparents ("she is 89 and still alive and doing exercise"), best friends, teachers, and pets. Famous figures included Simone Biles, Pele, Ronaldo, R.LStine, Katie Kirby, Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough. The book was displayed in the Paddock after the Parade, at Twilight Tales in the evening, and later at Lewes Town Hall, Old Hamsey Church Open Day and it will be a Lewes Climate Hub in October.

The celebrations continued into the evening with Twilight Tales, a free storytelling event in the Paddock from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Families relaxed with picnics and listened to extraordinary tales told by professional storytellers, all under the watchful gaze of Medusa as the sun set on what proved to be another truly legendary day for Lewes.

We are so grateful to the artists, schools, sponsors and volunteers who made Moving On possible. Lewes FC, John Harvey Tavern, Human Nature and Bill's. Thank you to the wonderful Emma Carlow who created a gorgeous "Absolute Legends" logo that appeared on highly coveted Patina t-shirts across town. Teenagers played a huge role too, returning to their primary schools to help with costume-making, operating Medusa's snakes in the Parade and performing in the samba band. Hundreds more adults contributed time, skills and support, helping Patina create unforgettable memories for more than 10,000 children since 2002.