The cultural and spiritual heritage of Northumberland are to be celebrated as Seahouses looks forward to a blazing weekend for its annual festival 20th to 22nd June - and a renewed focus is on the former United Reformed Church at the centre of the village of North Sunderland.
Jeff & Jill Sutheran have recently completed an extensive renovation of the building, which dates back to 1810, and have incorporated many of the original features alongside state-of-the-art facilities, to create a luxurious six bedroomed guest house. They recently opened to glowing reactions from their first guests. “Staying in a former church, with all its charm and history intact, but with luxurious bedrooms and bathrooms and fantastic facilities, is proving a real hit. There’s a real ‘wow’ factor!” said Jill.
Jeff added, “The theme of the Seahouses Festival this year is celebrating the cultural and spiritual heritage of the village and the area – and here we have a really significant building, one which has hosted the gathering of people in the village for almost 200 years, being brought back to life in a new and exciting way. Our dream is that the building will continue to tell the story it has been part of for so long.”
Jeff & Jill are leading a boat trip to the Farnes as part of the Festival programme. The boat trip on Saturday 21st June at 2.00 pm will tell the story of St Cuthbert’s life, and will include the opportunity to land on Inner Farne for a short visit to St Cuthbert’s chapel. Jeff said “This story isn’t some fable lost in the mists of time, but the real and gritty story of a man’s search for his vocation in the midst of a busy and pressured life – very relevant for today’s lifestyle! St Cuthbert’s House celebrates that story.” A further boat trip featuring the fishing heritage of Seahouses will be lead by historian and poet, Katrina Porteous on Sunday 22nd June at 2.30pm, and is also part of the Seahouses Festival.
Festival Chairperson Diana Herbert, herself an active member of the United Reformed Church, says, “We are grateful for the support of Golden Gates and Glad Tiding boats for giving their generous support to the Festival. They have made it possible to offer these special trips which celebrate the lives of local people, from saints to sailors, who have created the unique culture which the Seahouses Festival celebrates.”
The current congregation of St Cuthbert’s United Reformed Church now worship in the parish church of St Paul's, North Sunderland. They have created a display of historic artifacts from the old church which is being shown during the Festival Weekend at Seahouses Methodist Church, who are also hosting Children’s activities and art work from local first schools.
The Festival weekend, which in previous years has taken place in September, includes live music, street theatre, dance, and children's events as well as local history films and displays. The church restoration project also features as part of a film commissioned specially for the Festival, called ‘Distant Voices’, which is being shown several times over the weekend.
Details of all the events will be found on the Festival website
The visual spectacle will begin with giant kites which will be flying over Seahouses all weekend as visitors approach from the south end of town. The main stage on Harbour Hill offers what is reckoned to be the most attractive Festival stage anywhere in the UK!
And as Diana says, ‘We have a fantastic range of performers, musicians and crafts people who will delight and entertain all comers. Without the valuable support of local people and organisations none of this would be possible.’