Hundreds watch sunrise at UK's most easterly point

Hundreds of people watched the sun rise on the longest day of the year at the UK's most easterly point.

Ness Point in Lowestoft, Suffolk, is among the first places in the country to see the dawning of a new day at 04:30 BST.

It has a special resonance on 21 June - the summer solstice - when the sun is at its highest point in the sky for a year, kicking off astronomical summer.

"It was beautiful, just what we imagined," said Kerr, whose six-year-old daughter, Enid, described watching the sunrise as one of her dreams.

"Enid last summer told us she had a bucket list and on that was a sunrise, a sunset, a rainbow and snow - so this one we ticked off this morning," She added.

"We were under our sleeping bags in the camper van, so we were nice and warm."

The family set off from home in Norfolk at 02:30 BST, with Enid still in her pyjamas as she watched the sun peek over the horizon, albeit behind a bank of cloud.

Down the road at Lowestoft beach, a second gathering was taking place around the town's annual First Light Festival, which celebrates the solstice.

Swimmers enjoyed an early dip, and about 500 did their sun salutations during a yoga session on the sand.

"It was amazing, breath-taking," said Courtney, from Beccles, who was there with her friend Kirstine.

"The energy just felt great, and it's nice for people to come together and enjoy it together."

Sun rises over Ness Point in Lowestoft, Suffolk - the UK's most easterly point

Performance poet Bradley Taylor, of Birmingham, said he rarely got to see the sea, so watching the sunrise at Lowestoft with hundreds of other people was "very, very special".

Project manager Jo Leverett admitted she hadn't had much sleep before the early wake-up but said the sunrise was nevertheless "absolutely gorgeous and really, really special".

"I think we had about 2,000 people come down for our wonderful dawn celebration - we had music, we had singing," she added.

"There is something really special that draws people down to it, because it is the first light that we get here."

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