A free community drop-in event is coming to Sandown this Saturday (4th July 2026), inviting residents and anyone with a connection to the town to share photographs, objects and memories.
The Sandown Jolly takes place on Saturday 4th July at Boojum&Snark on the High Street, running from 11am to 4pm.
Organisers are providing lunch, refreshments and creative activities on the day, with no ticket required.
Part of a broader creative project
The event forms part of Sandown Scribe, a wider initiative that brings together creative writing, fine art photography and visual installations to build what organisers describe as a “penned portrait” of the town.
Isle of Wight artist Teresa Grimaldi, writer Anmarie Bowler and oral history specialists Discover More CIC are all involved in putting the day together.
Bowler, who founded the literary zine Brevity and champions flash fiction, will spend the summer focusing on Sandown as part of a residency. That work will culminate in an original piece of fiction inspired by the town – and contributions from visitors to the Jolly could feed directly into it.
Memories already beginning to surface
Ahead of the event, some residents have already been sharing what Sandown means to them.
Suzanne recalls the nightclub Zanies in 1981,
“New Romantics flocked to Zanies, the Sandown nightclub that rivalled Blitz. I was one of them: Cleopatra eyes, backcombed hair, handmade clothes, and way too much makeup. The stairs to nowhere. Poseurs on a mirrored floor. Cocktails in jam jars. Fading to grey.”
She adds,
“Unseen, at a respectable distance, Dad, waiting in a pastel blue Vauxhall Viva to take us home at 1am.”
Gary remembers the King’s Head with equal affection – and a certain wry humour about how the town has changed since. He says,
“My favourite place was the King’s Head. I remember taking pictures of Alison sitting on the balcony with the palm trees, blue sky, and blue sea in the background.
“When I posted them online, my mates commented, ‘Whereabouts abroad are you?’ ‘Sandown, mate,’ I replied. It’s derelict now. Just a memory, just a photograph.”
Gary adds,
“The other day, I posted a photograph of a burnt-out hotel – it’s Sandown, take your pick. My mates commented: ‘Whereabouts are you? Hope you’re okay.'”
How to get involved
The Sandown Jolly takes place on Saturday 4th July 2026 at Boojum&Snark, 105 High Street, Sandown PO36 8AF, between 11am and 4pm. Entry is free.
Organisers are asking anyone who wants to bring a historic photograph or a meaningful object along on the day to do so – anything that captures a piece of Sandown worth remembering.
