Poulton Heritage Weekend

The annual heritage festival weekend in September was once again a tremendous success.

Morecambe was transported back in time to the 1940s with music and entertainment from the era, ceremonial parades of vintage and military vehicles and the re-enactment of the Normandy landings.

The excellent weather made everything even more enjoyable and helped to draw the crowds of people to Poulton.

On Sunday, eyes turned to the skies as the Red Arrows thrilled the crowds with their amazing displays to split second timing and colourful trails. Following the Red Arrows was the ‘Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’. The only remaining airworthy Lancaster Bomber, the Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane all sensationally flew past filling the air with the distinctive humming of the Rolls Royce Merlin engines.

Community Beat Manager for Poulton, PC Neil Pigott, was in charge of policing the event and said: “This was a fantastic event bringing thousands of people to Morecambe. It was a joy to police, to see people enjoying themselves, particularly all of the families who turned up.

My highlight was the re-enactment of the Normandy landings. There were spectacular scenes as the allied troops charged forward over the shingle, crunching towards the German troops who were defiantly dug in, putting up a stiff resistance. The air rang, or should I say, reverberated with explosions - loud enough to make the windows rattle and to set off nearby car alarms.”

“The allies emerged victorious, capturing the German beachhead to rapturous applause from the watching crowd. All of this took place under the watchful, sometimes tear-filled eyes of the war veterans who had seen it all before.”

The Poulton Neighbourhood Policing Team presented the veterans with some of the alcohol seized from local underage drinkers as part of ‘Operation Tranquillity’, which was run locally to target anti-social behaviour and alcohol related disorders. PC Pigott said: “This was a small token gesture to say thank you to the veterans who did so much for us all. It was nice to recycle something, that can often lead to trouble, back into something positive. It was a display of what we are trying to achieve by working together with licensees and the community.”

Party in the Square

Poulton Neighbourhood Management’s aim to cheer up the shoppers was a huge success as live music blasted out of Euston Square during the summer.

The party started at 12pm. with a fantastic young up-and-coming band called ‘Tantrum’ belting out the tunes. The crowds gathered to enjoy the two hours of live music and the sun shone down uplifting everyone’s spirits.

Tantrum played a massive range of rock and blues songs from artists such as ZZ Top, BB King, and Jimi Hendrix - there was something for everyone. Feet were tapping, hands were clapping, and children were dancing to the music their parents enjoyed.

Poulton Neighbourhood Management organised the event and would like to thank everyone who contributed to its success. The band were fantastic and the crowds thoroughly enjoyed being entertained for free!