Lord Mayor's Day brings celebrations to city centre

Plymouth's new Lord Mayor, Vivian Pengelly will lead a special parade through the city centre involving around 800 people.

Cllr Pengelly, a former leader of Plymouth City Council, was invested as Lord Mayor at a ceremony at the Guildhall on Thursday.

Today's celebrations will involve music and entertainment throughout the city centre with plenty of activities for all the family.

The theme is Plymouth's hidden history and more than 250 schoolchildren will take part in an ice age themed parade.

The parade will travel on foot from the university, through the city centre to the piazza - the parade starts at 1pm at the Roland Levinsky building, but there are activities at the university from 10am and in the city centre from 11am.

More than 250 pupils have been working with Stiltskin Arts and Theatre Company to stage a spectacular ‘Cattedown Man’ themed children’s parade and are putting the finishing touches to a giant wooden caveman, as well as colourful costumes, masks and other giant ice age puppets.

To mark the city’s first ever History Festival, the theme for this year’s event is ‘Plymouth’s Hidden History’ and the whole city centre will come alive in a celebration of music and fun activities, along with a colourful carnival costumed procession.

In the morning the new Lord Mayor will visit the Community Open House event at Plymouth University, where an amazing programme of exhibitions and interactive activities will be taking place from 10am to 2pm. They will include a ship and kayak simulator, historical maritime artefacts and a Blue Mile rowing machine competition which people can sign up to on the day.

The university is also teaming up with RELAYS (Regional Educational Legacy in Arts and Youth Sport) to stage a range of exciting sports and cultural activities, including a DJ workshop, juggling and frisbee golf, on the grassed areas outside the Holiday Inn from 2pm to 5pm.

The Lord Mayor’s Day parade will leave from the back of the Roland Levinsky Building at 1pm and wind its way across Cobourg Street, down Cornwall Street and around Market Avenue before turning up New George Street and finishing on the Armada Way piazza. The City of Plymouth Pipe Band will head up the procession, followed by around 800 children and adults.

Over 40 different community groups and organisations will have stalls and displays around the Sundial and in New George Street, including the charities being supported by the new Lord Mayor – the Drake Foundation and the Royal Navy and Royal Marine Charity.

Other organisations will include Hospital Radio, Wild Futures Money Sanctuary, the Devonport Field Gun Association, HM Forces Army and Rifles (who are running a paintball activity), the Salvation Army and Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery’s Museum in Transit service.

There will be musicians and artists performing around the city centre throughout the day, including the Plymouth Morris Men and Mad About Swing and students from City College Plymouth and dBs Music will be entertaining crowds with a full musical programme in Place de Brest.

The day will also include a full stage entertainment programme on the piazza from 10am to 4pm, led by Heart Radio. It will include live performances from the Plymouth Rock Choir, All Stars Theatre Group, HMS Heroes Military Kids Choir and Natasha’s Bollywood Dance Club.

A massive activity area will also be running in the Civic and Guildhall Square areas from 11am to 5pm, where the Stonehouse Playspace Association will provide a climbing wall, skate ramps, crafts area and multi-use play equipment. There will also be vintage vehicles and model displays in this area.

There will also be a ‘Plymouth History Trail’ around the West End, with various prizes up for grabs, including family tickets for the ‘Dora the Explorer’ show at Plymouth Pavilions, the Plymouth Big Wheel and the National Marine Aquarium. Families will be asked to follow clues around the West End and discover some interesting historical facts about Plymouth along the way. Entry forms will be available from the Lord Mayor’s Day information point in the Civic Centre entrance area and from event stewards and will need to be returned by 3pm, with winners being announced in the piazza at 4pm.

Deputy Council Leader Peter Smith said: “This year’s Lord Mayor’s Day looks set to be another brilliant event, with loads of fun activities and entertainment happening throughout the day. We’re really pleased to be teaming up with Plymouth University’s Open House again to stage a celebration that really brings the whole community together. It’s great that so many schools, groups and organisations are showing their support and I hope that lots of people come out to join in the fun.”

This year’s Lord Mayor’s Day is sponsored by Rowes Honda. A parade map can be downloaded from the Visit Plymouth website.

City centre car parks, including disabled parking facilities, will be open and buses will be running as normal. Motorists are advised that Armada Way will be closed outside the Guildhall from 7am to 5pm, as will New George Street, from the junction of Raleigh Street to Cobourg Street. Market Avenue, Market Way and the lower end of Cornwall Street will be closed from 1pm to 2pm as the parade passes through.