This years Nene Valley Festival was our biggest and best yet as the sunshine bought thousands out across the Nene Valley to explore the fascinating wildlife, culture and history that call this area home.

From our launch event in Peterborough market square – through to our finale event at Stanwick Lakes, all over the region, our partners worked exceptionally hard to deliver a programme as diverse and wide ranging as it was entertaining – with opportunities to explore the stunning Nene Valley in new ways every day.

As we noted before the festival and during some of our podcast episodes, one of the key themes of this years festival were History and Heritage and it was fantastic to see these events so heavily populated and well supported this year. Between the world of Heritage Open Days available over the region, through to the hands on axe-throwing taking place at the Settlers event at Stanwick Lakes – thousands of years of Nene Valley history was bought to life in front of our very eyes.

Elsewhere across the festival; musical performances from the likes of Aled Jones, Ruby Tuner, Voodoo Soul and more bought audiences to their feet at venues up and down the Nene Valley – while those looking for something a little quieter, had the opportunity to learn new skills like crochet or bread making or even just relax and listen to some poetry.

As the festival draws to a close for this year, our thoughts are already turning to 2020 and how we can continue to develop and expand this wonderful celebration of the Nene Valley even further. Be sure to let us know your feedback or experiences of this years festival (including your photos which we would love to add to our festival gallery!) using the hashtag #NeneValley19

Before we get too far into that planning however, it is important to recognise the hard work and support that goes into making this festival happen each year. Firstly a big thank you to our primary partners at Nenescape and the Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands, without who’s support and financial assistance, the festival literally would not be able to happen each year.

And beyond that a big thank you to the army of volunteers, partners, venues, stakeholders and visitors that all combined to put on such a memorable celebration of the Nene Valley for everyone who visited.

Be sure to explore our social media feeds for more updates on this years festival and be sure to check back to the blog next, week for a second wrap-up blog, featuring reactions and feedback from some of our key partners and venues.