Christchurch Park will be turning back time to help celebrate the National Heritage Open day with a "1940's Family Sports and Fun day" to be held on Sunday 9th September.
The Sports and Fun Day will take park in the Upper Arboretum, between 12 pm and 4pm when visitors will be transported back to the 1940s for an afternoon of traditional sports day events and old fashioned fun for all the family. The event is free of charge.
The afternoon will include traditional races such as the egg and spoon races and sack races, a coconut shy, tin can alley, shovehapenny, tug of war, a Punch and Judy show and the chance to meet characters from the 1940's. Indeed the local bobby, the infamous "Spiv" and other war time heroes will be there to add something special to an enjoyable and relaxing Sunday afternoon in the park. Refreshments reminiscent of the era (Old fashioned lemonade – and good old fashioned home baking based on rationed allocations), provided by the Ipswich Country Market will be on sale.
The Ipswich Hospital Band will be playing big band music to rekindle memories of the jitter bug, Boogie Woogie and other popular 1940s dances.
With an MC gelling the whole thing together this promises to be a wonderful afternoon for the young and old alike to take part in or just sit and listen to the live music.
The day organised by Team Ipswich and Colchester and Ipswich Museum Services with the support of the English Heritage Outreach Office, is part of Ipswich@play. It has been created to provide education about the Great British heritage and a sense of nostalgia for an era which was characterised by commradery and community spirit.