The Spark Festival held in Lincoln Cathedral is a celebration of Lincolnshire engineering – past, present and future.

Lincolnshire is home to much of the story of British manufacturing- not least the efforts made to wrestle with the mud of the county’s wonderfully productive agricultural land which provided the technology for the tank, a Lincoln invention.

I am proud to have been associated with two festivals held in the county’s magnificent cathedral – itself a marvel of engineering

The first was a celebration of food and farming. This was held in conjunction with the much loved sausage festival and the county harvest festival linking the food chain.

The second festival, now known as Spark, celebrates the work of Lincolnshire engineers.

The talented Optima Design produced a timeline, and engineers from across the county offered illustrations of their stories and current endeavours.

Rustons produced a motor car after the First World war as they wrestled with the challenge of peace. Rustons would go on to make Lincoln known across the world for their gas turbines used by just about every oil company.

There was so much more. A train set from Dynex and visitors loving the experience

Spark returns on 7 and 8 July 2023 with events to encourage budding engineers from local schools and exhibits in the cathedral to inform and delight.