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An historic event is aiming to be bigger and better than last year with a range of activities planned during the four-day celebrations.

Greatham Feast has been held in Greatham village since the 15th Century and is believed to have even taken place during both world wars.

The feast, now in its 562nd year, was originally held to celebrate the birthday of St John the Baptist on June 24 and attracts hundreds of people from the village and across Hartlepool every year.

The celebrations will begin on Thursday, June 22, at 9.30am with a church service at St John the Baptist Church with children’s football on the Greatham sports field at 5pm.

Annual Greatham Feast village parade, 2019.

On Friday, June 23, the annual baby show will be held at the community centre from 11am for Greatham residents, followed by a pensioners afternoon tea at 3pm and the popular Yard of Ale competition at the Bull & Dog from 7pm.

On Saturday, June 24, at 11am, Greatham’s Bake Off will take place at the community centre and then at 1pm the village’s annual grand parade will make its way down the high street.

Miss Toni's Academy Of Music & Performing Arts and Move It With Ami Ford will be performing in the afternoon as well as a “glamour granny competition”.

There will be a number of stalls and rides for children on Saturday as well as catering vans including Wilson’s Traditional Fish and Chips and Chipp’n’tails cocktail van.

The day will end with a music performance on the village green by local band Electric Sheep.

The four-day celebrations will come to a close on Sunday, June 25, at 1pm with a communal picnic on the village green, where residents are encouraged to gather and enjoy an afternoon of games and sports.

Toni-Louise Llewellyn, one of the committee members who runs the event, said: “It’s not an easy event to organise but we get support from all the residents in Greatham with the likes of donations, prizes and vouchers and generally offering to help where they can which is amazing.

"We get a lot of support from the local businesses in Greatham such as Bull & Dog and Whitfield's General Store.

"I’ve been on the committee 5 years now and it gets better every year.”

Hartlepool’s historic Greatham Feast returns for its 562nd year