Claire shares details from last week’s event Sandman Snowman event. Ed
There are 52 mini-beaches, or ‘micro-bays’ that make up the shortlisted Britain’s Best Beach Sandown Bay, and if you were walking past just one of them – the Science Beach – last Saturday, you’d have come across a strange and amazing display… also known as Sandman Snowman!
Sand snowmen and gallery
Over 200 people of all ages packed onto the Science Beach making almost as many snowmen, complete with carrot noses and coal eyeballs, out of sand! Meanwhile, on the groynes by the Vertipools, a chalk Snowman Gallery was taking shape and free hot chocolate kept everyone warm mid-creation.
Reminding people of this extraordinary place
As Ian Boyd at the not-for-profit The Common Space who ran the day, explains,
“It doesn’t often snow on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, so the idea behind Sandman Snowman has always been that you don’t need to wait for it to snow to build a snowman, and you don’t have to wait for summer to visit the beach.
“It’s a way to encourage people to come to the Bay in winter, to remind them that it’s an extraordinary place and that there’s always a reason to go outside!
“We line up the carrots, coal, reeds and seaweeds and the resulting artistry and designs are amazing – a real spectacle! Then after everyone’s gone off hopefully to explore the Bay further, the tide washes the sandmen away. But of course, you can always come back here at any time of year and rediscover it all for yourself.
“The Common Space is designed to celebrate free public space in the Bay and on the Island, and that’s exactly what Sandman Snowman is for.”
2019 events
There are all sorts of events and reasons to visit Sandown Bay throughout 2019 and make sure to vote for the Bay in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards!
