Aycliffe Monthly #4 | Page 11

AYCLIFFE TODAY MONTHLY | 11 @AYCLIFFETODAY PARTY IN THE PARK SUCCESS Pictures courtesy of Colin McNeilie Hundreds of music lovers have enjoyed an open-air spring music festival in Newton Aycliffe. Nearly 400 spectators turned out for Party In The Park at Aycliffe Sports Club. With a fully professional stage, sound and lighting, the crowd was given a full range of musical experiences, including blues, jazz, hip/hop, grime, punk, indie and rock by 11 local bands. The show, which started at 12noon on Sunday 4th May and ran through to 10.30pm, featured Celestine, S26 Clique, Live Lounge, Sunset Regime, The Antispetics, Dr Brown and the Groovecats, Wayward Sons, The Voluntears, Kick, Another Crisis and Howaysis. The event was jointly organised by Aycliffe Sports Club and Newton Aycliffe FC. Organiser Shaun Saunders said: "The whole day was brilliant! "Every single act was top class and the sound and lighting coupled with the stage really was incredibly professional. "This was a great example of the sports club and one of its sections working together to create an excellent product." Proceeds from the event will be used in part to upgrade the security systems on the football ground, with the club having been targeted by thieves. It is expected that the event will become an annual fixture in the town's entertainment calendar. "We want to run the event again next year, but on a larger scale," said Saunders. "We have learned a lot from this year's event and will utilise that experience to make next year's even better!" Aycliffe FC chairman Gary Farley said it was a "hugely impressive event". He added: "The football club is an important part of the local community, and we want to involve as many people as we can in the club. "Having events like this on the pitch bring a different audience down and it was great to see."