MEMORIES of carnivals and parades in the region will be brought to life later this year in an exciting new exhibition.

People in South Tyneside and County Durham are being invited to dig out old photographs and take a trip down memory lane to help tell the tale of an almost forgotten era.

The History of Parades and Carnivals in the North East exhibition is being organised by South Shields-based production company, Creative Seed.

The project has received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and will examine the history and social impact of parades, processions and marches traditionally held across South Tyneside.

It will focus on everything from miners’ galas and village carnivals to today’s multicultural Summer Parade, as it traces the history of an iconic community institution.

“Today, parades and carnivals are very much reserved for special occasions, but if you look back say 50 or 60 years it was a very different story,” said Garner Harris, director at Creative Seed.

“There was a time when every weekend you would find a different parade going on somewhere in the region, and floats and marching bands were something that everyone was familiar with.

“This heritage has been lost over the years, so our project is about tracing the history, and looking at how these events were shaped by individual communities.”

Garner and the Creative Seed team are now appealing for help from the public and are inviting people to submit old photographs and videos, or even just talk about their memories.

Anyone who wishes to submit images or video footage, or personal memories, can email creativeseed100@gmail.com.

Alternatively, there is a contact form along with more information on Creative Seed’s website: www.creativeseed.org.