Every year, the people of Jesmond come together for the Jesmond Community Festival, showcasing the talents and hidden treasures of the suburb. Organised by Jesmond Community Forum, the month-long festival has been going since 2005, celebrating everything Jesmond has to offer.

This year, the festival is scheduled to take place from 4 May to 2 June, a timeframe which includes two bank holidays as well as West Jesmond Primary School’s half term (27-31 May). Although this may seem quite a while away, plans for the festival are well underway. There will be plenty of events, activities and competitions, including music, outdoor fun and children’s activities.

Joan Aarvold, who has lived in Jesmond for over 50 years, says the festival allows people to “enjoy the strengths that exist in this community.” The volunteer for Friends of Jesmond Library adds: “Jesmond has such a diverse community. There are people from all walks of life – the festival brings us all together.”

Jesmond is known for having a large student population, though there is often a separation between students and permanent residents. Tony Waterston, former chair of the Jesmond Residents Association (JRA), says: “We’d like to see more students [at the festival]”. Both Waterston and Aarvold emphasise that everyone is welcome, and they’re hoping for a big turnout.

Here are just a handful of the events taking place during the festival…

Outdoor Activities & Environment

Tour de Jesmond

Organised by Waterston in association with SPACE for Jesmond, Tour de Jesmond is an annual social cycling event that takes place in and around Jesmond. Exclusive to the festival, Tour de Jesmond is open to all ages and abilities with no reservation required. Waterston says: “It’s not just for keen cyclists, it’s for people who like to get out and about.”

Taking place on Sunday 5 May, the tour starts at the bandstand in Exhibition Park and lasts approximately two hours, covering 10 miles, with an ice cream stop halfway through.

SPACE for Jesmond is an organisation that campaigns for safe cycling and pedestrian spaces in Jesmond. Waterston, a Green Party campaigner, says there has been a big increase in motor traffic in the 30 years he has lived in Jesmond, and he would like to encourage more cycling.

Plastic Free Jesmond and Sandyford Awards

Continuing the eco-friendly theme, Plastic Free Jesmond and Sandyford will be presenting awards to cafes or shops that have significantly reduced their use of plastic.

The competition often has a theme, which in previous years has been plastic bags, plastic cups, or plastic cutlery. The aim this year is for cafes to stop selling plastic bottles of water and offer free refills instead.

The awards are divided into two categories, North Jesmond and South Jesmond, with last year’s awards swept by Pink Lane Bakery and Urban Green Café respectively. You can read about the impact of the awards in our previous reporting on both businesses.

The initiative is also organised by Waterston, who explains: “Plastic, as we know, is a huge polluting material in the neighbourhood. It ends up on the street, it damages nature.”

Waterston, who is also a member of Extinction Rebellion, urges the importance of local action. “I’d like to see more people involved in doing things – there’s so much that can happen locally like growing your own food or ending the use of plastics.”

The awards will be presented to the winners in Jesmond Library on Thursday 16 May.

Orchard Open Day & Plant Stall

Jesmond Community Orchard (JCO), which can be found just behind St Andrew’s Cemetery, was created by a group of local residents in 2009. Although the orchard is open to the public all year round, there will be a special open day on Saturday 18 May as part of the festival celebrations.

Chris McConway, who has been on the JCO committee for almost a decade, tells JesmondLocal: “Just by being there, I think the orchard offers a great facility that you can always get to.”

The open day will offer a range of activities, from apple juicing and pebble painting, to storytelling and snail racing, which McConway describes as “immensely popular”. Jesmond residents are encouraged to bring a picnic to sit under the fruit trees. 

Committee members of JCO will also be running a plant stall on Acorn Road a week prior to the open day (11 May). McConway says the stall is “always a huge success”. He continues: “Anyone can come along to buy plants and get a bit of advice about how to look after them.”

Family Fun & Children’s Activities

As well as the orchard open day and Tour de Jesmond, there are plenty of other opportunities for families with young children to get involved with the festival.

Teddy Bear Trail

The popular teddy bear trail, organised by Friends of Jesmond Library, has been a much-loved feature of the Jesmond Community Festival for the past 6 years. The competition takes place during the second fortnight of the festival, meaning children can spend half term completing the trail.

Around 30 named teddy bears will be hidden around Jesmond, such as in shop windows or even up trees. Residents can also volunteer to host a bear in their own window, and there is a separate competition for the best dressed teddy, which always has a theme to follow.

Entries cost £1, and participants will be provided with a map and entry form. The money raised goes towards Jesmond Library; last year the trail made just over £250. Completed entry forms will then be divided into age categories and entered into a prize draw.

Aarvold has been involved in organising the trail every year. She says: “[The trail] has become a great fun event for families and folk without children too.”

Model Steam Train Rides

The Tyneside Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (TSMEE) will be running a ‘festival special’ model steam train ride for children on Sunday 18 May. The track, located behind Wylam Brewery, is a permanent feature of Exhibition Park that has been developed and maintained by TSMEE since the 1950s.

The society has over 100 members who meet on a weekly basis at the park. Linda Nicholls, who has been its secretary for the last 15 years, explains: “For most of them, model engineering is their hobby. There are members of all different backgrounds with different skills.”

“It’s a nice way to connect with local people”, she continues.

Music & Other

There are numerous music events that will be taking place throughout the duration of the festival, including performances from the Northumberland Orchestral Society, the North East Recorder Orchestra, and Jesmond Choral Group.

Jesmond Food Market will also run its usual course on the first and third Saturday of each month, totalling three markets during the festival period.

Lastly, Jesmond Library is planning to host a wellbeing talk on 15 May and a children’s crafts session on 28 May.

However, the calendar is not yet full, so if you have an idea for an event you’d like to organise, please email info@jesmondfestival.org.uk.