Thousands flock to Pocklington Rugby Club for Pockdown 2026

Incredible family activities were once again provided free due to the hard-working organising committee - the charity Pocklington Rugby in the Community (PRITC) and Pocklington Town Council – all of which are volunteers.

The weather stayed dry, and people brought garden chairs and picnic rugs to enjoy the whole day.

There was a varied offering of live music, ranging from Lucy’s fabulous Pop Choir to ‘Killer No Filla’, while food vendors kept hungry mouths fed with a range of food from pizzas to bao buns.

Among the host of family-friendly activities on offer were a climbing wall and cave; a magic show in The Tent of Mystery – provided by The Magic Carpet Theatre; the Purple Pig Company brought ducklings, baby goats and alpacas amongst other animals; nine inflatables (which were busy all day!); rugby activities and games provided by the Mini and Junior Section of the rugby club; as well as outdoor games including adult and children’s Sumo suits from East Yorkshire County Council Health and Well Being Team; and the ever popular face painting.

The Scouts, who were raising money for trips, again had a variety of activities and games on their site.

A spokesperson for the event said: “We were pleased to see the return of the Sensory SEND marquee, managed and facilitated by Accessible Arts and Media and this year sponsored by NCCN – New Concept and Care

Nursing. This was once again a great success with over 200 interactions and excellent feedback from those who participated.”

Pockdown is now well established as Pocklington’s main summer event, the spokesperson said: “We were delighted to deliver POCKDOWN 2026 and hope everyone had a wonderful day.

“We must thank all our sponsors and donors who contributed towards the event, without their support, we could not make it a free event.

“This year, two tombolas were run by volunteers from PRITC, raising money for Pockdown 2027.

“We are grateful to all who donated prizes and had a go on the tombola, as well as making a donation at the gate.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the whole community to come together.”

A number of emergency services were in attendance, St John’s Ambulance came, not just to support on the day, but to provide information about their activities, particularly inviting residents of all ages to practice CPR on their dummies.

Humberside Police offered free cycle security marking and registration. Pocklington Fire Service also brought an engine along, and families were able to learn all about the equipment and the engine as well as sitting in the cab.

A large number of people were involved in making the event a success and thanks were by PRITC to “all our amazing volunteers, who gave a collective 360 + hours of their time in planning and preparation towards the day, on the day and tidying away on the Sunday – without them the day would not be possible.

“Our thanks must also go to Megaplant Ltd, Pocklington RUFC, Coopers Marquees, Cockerill Ltd, David J Birch Plumbing and Heating, The Acorns Community Hub Market Weighton and A J Manufacturing for their support, which all contributes to making the day not only possible, but very successful too.”

The date for Pockdown 2027 will be shared shortly. Anyone who could offer an hour or two to volunteer next year, is asked to contact [email protected].

PRITC is also looking for new sponsors or donors to ensure the fantastic free community event continues, to find out more visit www.pockritc.com.