Spalding and Donington could be getting new festivals
Two new festivals – including one to celebrate explorer Matthew Flinders – could be lighting up the area’s calendar if new plans come together.
Transported will be highlighting the impact of Donington-born adventurer Capt Flinders along with the members of Spalding Gentlemen’s Society in two new festivals which are hoped to take place next year.
While the plans are in their infancy, the organisation says it is looking to put on a series of festivals and submit an application to the Arts Council to fund the project.
Programme director Nick Jones announced the festival plans during a meeting in Donington last week when villagers learned more about the arrangements for the homecoming of Capt Flinders – who was the first man to circumnavigate Australia – when he will be interred within the church in July next year.
Members of the Flinders Return Project put out an appeal for people in Donington to get involved with the three days of services.
Speaking in St Mary and the Holy Rood Church, Mr Jones told villagers that Transported was working with South Holland District Council and Boston Borough Council.
He said: “We are working in Spalding to develop a festival to celebrate the importance of members of Spalding Gentlemen’s Society and how they have impacted on the rest of the world.
“We are talking about another application to the Arts Council to do a programme of festivals to celebrate this area and how it has impacted on the globe.
“We have an opportunity to develop a festival to show the importance of Flinders and the connection to Australia.”
Mr Jones told the meeting that one of the festivals would be a European food festival in Boston and asked if villagers would be interested in taking part in an arts project.
He said: “We don’t yet know what the festival is going to be but we recognise it is a really exciting opportunity for this community to demonstrate its importance to the rest of the world.”
Chairman of Spalding Gentlemen’s Society Petronella Keeling said the society is happy to be involved in the project.
She said: “This is still in very early stages, Transported is developing a programme of festivals for Boston and South Holland that is inspired by impact and cultural exchange between the area and the continents. One of these will be a light event at Ayscoughfee in February, the theme to be ‘people connected to the gentleman’s gociety,’ and the resulting collection.
“The society is happy to be involved in projects that bring the museum and its collection to the public. We enjoy working with Transported and their artists.”
