By Sam Hawcroft
It was the word on most people’s lips at various points across the weekend.
“Wow!”
Thousands of people packed Withernsea’s South Promenade on August 10-11 for the second annual Blue Light Weekend, which the organisers had billed as “double” the size of last year – and so it proved, especially on the Sunday, with breathtaking displays by six aircraft among the highlights of another successful event.
It was a fitting tribute to the man whose original vision paved the way for what has now become the biggest event in Withernsea’s annual calendar.
Steve Medcalf, the former operations manager at Withernsea RNLI, had the idea of expanding the town’s Water Safety Day into a larger event celebrating local emergency and lifesaving services, but tragically died in late 2022 before he could see it come to fruition.
His son James, who his himself now part of the town’s lifeboat crew, said after this year’s event: “My dad always believed in the power of community over competition, and he dreamed of uniting our town, our home. This weekend, that dream came alive for the second year, in the most beautiful way.
“This weekend was a shining example of who we are. We’re not just a seaside town – we are Withernsea, and our community spirit is unstoppable. Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible. Here’s to many more moments like these, where we come together, support one another, and celebrate what makes our town truly special.”
The Blue Light Weekend committee is led by Steve’s brother, Andy, and Dave Penson, who runs local events company Blip Active. They both said they were pleased at how their many months of intense planning had come off with barely a hitch.
Andy said: “I think everything that we planned happened how it should have happened. Any issues that came up on the weekend, such as the technical problem with the helicopter that prevented the Royal Navy Raiders being able to come, we reacted to quickly. The weather certainly helped, and we’re getting to the stage now where we’re thinking, can we fit any more people on that promenade?”
Dave added: “We had two objectives, which we achieved – firstly, to deliver a free family event, and, secondly, to raise money for blue light charities.”
They both stressed the need for more local sponsors to come on board to secure the future of the event, which does not come cheap to stage.
“We’re under no illusions that we might be facing a funding shortfall for next year without continued support,” said Dave.
The dates for BLW2025 have already been set for next year – August 2-3 – and this has largely been determined by the local tides, to ensure the viability of the raft races and swims, though football fans might also be relieved that the festival no longer clashes with the start of the Championship season.
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