Whitsun Events

Kirkby-in-Ashfield children, in their Sunday school best, take to the streets for the town's annual Whit walks.

Spanning several years from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s this film shot by Fred Hutchinson shows the annual Sunday school walks celebrating the Christian festival of Pentecost in the Nottinghamshire town of Kirkby in Ashfield. Whit walks for children were a popular feature in Northern towns from the Victorian era but were less common in the East Midlands. In a change of pace from all that walking look out for an impressive robot taking the honours in the fancy dress event.