Circus says farewell to Morecambe after five months stranded on prom during Covid-19 lockdown

Big Kid Circus has spent the last few days putting on free shows as a thank you to everyone who helped them out since they arrived in the town.

And they hope to return soon to see the place where they have been welcomed and supported by so many people.

After their final show on Sunday, the artists starting packing up their belongings and took down the Big Top which has been a recognisable part of Morecambe promenade for five months.

The group - aged between two and 92 - had been unable to work or leave the site due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions put in place in March, just after they arrived in the resort.

And the people of Morecambe and the surrounding area took them to their hearts, helping out with food and clothing donations as well as financial support.

The artists had been forced to set up their own crowdfunding page to help them survive.

They admitted they had "literally got nothing" and had been struggling to survive from day to day.

The circus usually travels across the UK and south east Asia, but has been on Morecambe prom since March after the government's coronavirus lockdown restrictions meant they were unable to perform.

However, when lockdown restrictions were lifted on live outdoor performances, the artists could finally get back to work.

And after completing their packing on Monday morning, they set off to Workington, where they will put on performances later this week.

Olympia Posirca, the circus ringmistress, said it is hoped the free shows will become a regular occurrence when they revisit Morecambe in the future.

"At all of the shows we said a massive thank you, and in years to come when we come back to Morecambe we hope to do at least one day of free shows to say thank you again, because we genuinely wouldn't have survived without the generosity of the people of Morecambe," she said.

"We can never say thank you enough."

In April we reported how tough life had become for the group since lockdown was enforced.

They didn't even get to put on a show for the resort, as the coronavirus restrictions were brought in just days after they arrived in town.

The artists were not eligible for any government support as they are not EU or UK citizens.

And despite paying tax, they were not eligible for any help as they don't have a property that they pay rent on.

They were allowed to stay in Morecambe by Lancaster City Council, who provided them with electricity, running water and refuse collections.

They were also supported by Morecambe Bay Foodbank.