Darlington residents came out for both the sunshine and live music today for the sixth annual Firthmoor Live - take a look at our pictures here.

Carnival rides, live music, picnic blankets and tasty treats were all a part of the fun yesterday (July 20) at Firthmoor Live as over 1,000 residents came out to join in with festivities.

The event has gone on for the past six years, with Hawaiian, Best of British and Australian being just a few.

This year's was Caribbean to honour the memory of Roderick Critchlow, also known as Roddy Francis, Darlington's first black mayor who died in February of this year.

Mr Critchlow arrived in the UK as a young man from Trinidad and settled in Darlington after a train left him here by accident.

In 1987, he was elected as a councillor, became mayor in 2004 -  and continued to serve until his retirement in 2019.

The festivities also coincided with the 20th birthday of Firthmoor Community Centre.

Pictures showed revellers having a whale of a time despite the humid weather - tucking in to food and drinks on deckchairs as they bopped along to music.

Managing the event was Councillor Jonathan Dulston, who liaised with both the Arthur Wharton foundation and the Caribbean community in Darlington to put the big day together.

He told the Echo: "Firthmoor Community centre celebrates its 20th birthday this year, and we wanted to do something bigger and better to honour that.

"But, one of its pioneers was Councillor Roddy Francis who sadly passed away last year. We thought, what can we do to combined the two - so to honour his Trinidad heritage we decided to go Carribbean style.

"You can see the Trinidad and Tobago flag flying and it's all about celebrating his culture and his heritage."

He added: "We have got a fantastic community who have all came out today to support the event - around 1,000 people have shown up.

"Firthmoor continues to go from strength to strength. Seeing this makes me so proud. To see communities come together to support their local community centre and charity is fantastic." 

Here are a few pictures of the day - can you spot yourself?

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)


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Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024.Firthmoor Live, Darlington, 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)