The first ever Crowborough Community Festival kicks off on Bank Holiday Monday (1 May) with a dinosaur-themed Lost World Fun Day at Goldsmiths Recreation Ground.
Packed with fun for all the family – and free of charge – the day is themed around former resident Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 adventure novel, The Lost World. Crowborough’s prehistoric past was the inspiration for the theme; the High Weald’s unique geology, wildlife and history have made it an internationally-important landscape and a hotspot for past fossil hunters.
A wide range of activities for all ages will be on offer including dinosaur-themed craft workshops with children’s author Paul Stickland, wilderness survival skills, a climbing wall and assault course, art exhibitions, locally-sourced food and drink plus live music from the Noble Jacks Duo, Bloco Fogo Samba Band and The Ashdown Forest Morris Men.
Visitors can also enjoy outdoor street theatre from The Iguanodon Restaurant – a hilarious romp through 60 years of history and scientific discovery, focusing on famous fossil discoveries and the birth of geology.The day starts at 11am and runs until 5pm; a free shuttle bus will be running from Crowborough Station and St John’s School car park. For more information visit www.crowboroughcommunityfestival.org/the-lost-world-of-conan-doyle-fun-day.
The Crowborough Community Festival is a month-long celebration of Crowborough’s landscape and cultural heritage, supported by local businesses and national organisations including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the High Weald AONB Partnership. A host of family-friendly events will run throughout May including guided walks, seminars, music and theatre performances and workshops. View the full festival programme at: www.crowboroughcommunityfestival.org.
As part of the festival, High Weald Education Officer Rachel Bennington will lead a series of arts and science workshops with six local primary schools, helping children engage with the area’s fascinating history and environment. As well as handling fossils and other interesting wildlife items, pupils will embark on a ‘Lost World Quest’, adventuring to nearby green spaces to discover more about the area’s rocks, fossils, dinosaurs, modern-day reptiles and their habitats.