A parade fit for a King aims to unite young and old in a County Durham coronation event.

Jack Drum Arts – based in Crook, County Durham – will be hosting a community carnival this Bank Holiday Monday (May 8).

The carnival and gala event aims to use the Coronation of King Charles III as a catalyst to bring people together across generations to share and celebrate their experiences, hopes, and dreams.

'Year of The King' is funded by Spirit of 2012 – the official legacy funder of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Jack Drum Arts is one of seven organisations to receive a grant from Spirit of 2012’s 'Moments To Connect' fund, designed to explore how the major national events of 2023 can connect individuals and communities across social divides.

Year of The King draws inspiration from King Charles' love of the environment, which has become a uniting theme for the young and older participants.

The year-long project will begin its second phase on May 8 with a parade through the streets of Crook, with guest of honour Jenny Flynn, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of County Durham.

Residents from all age groups will demonstrate the drumming and dancing they learned and display the props and costumes they made during a series of community workshops.

The Northern Echo: The Bank Holiday Monday parade marks the second phase of the year-long projectThe Bank Holiday Monday parade marks the second phase of the year-long project (Image: SPIRIT OF 2012)

The parade will then transition into a gala event held at Crook Cricket Club featuring live entertainment from community groups and local bands, including Beyond Madness, family games, competitions, street theatre, family entertainment, and food and drink vendors.

Following the Coronation, Jack Drum Arts will invite participants from across the project to form an intergenerational legacy group.

This group will meet regularly for six months, working with visiting artists in a broad range of mediums to create a collection of new multi-disciplinary artwork. This will be which will be presented at a final exhibition in Crook in November, to coincide with King Charles III’s birthday.

Helen Ward, managing director of Jack Drum Arts, said: “Throughout his life King Charles has been passionate about a number of subjects but the ones that inspire us the most are his interest in, and support of young people, his love of the countryside and his concern for the environment.

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"All of these things are core to the work of Jack Drum Arts and we have taken this as our inspiration for the parade which will feature as its centrepiece a Green King puppet.”

The Northern Echo: The Green King puppet will be the centrepiece of the paradeThe Green King puppet will be the centrepiece of the parade (Image: SPIRIT OF 2012)

Jane, Lady Gibson, Chair of Spirit of 2012 added: “The Coronation of King Charles is an event of huge historical significance.

"The UK has the opportunity to take the energy and excitement around it and create a lasting legacy. Jack Drum Arts' Year of the King will do just that - creating both a fantastic Bank Holiday community gala and parade and an intergenerational partnership between younger and older participants which will last long after the coronation itself.”