Carnival 2016 - Myths, Monsters & Magic
2nd July 2016
In a year when many major towns have cancelled their Carnival due to loss of Local Authority funding it is a delight to see that St Mary's Village Carnival goes from strength to strength. Perhaps this year was the best we have achieved for the Community of our villages.
It was a joy to talk to so many groups of family and friends who had turned up on Edlesborough Green for what they described as a brilliant afternoon. And financially, at this very early stage, it appears to have been successful with at least £13,000 to be distributed within the local community; if your organisation could benefit from a donation (usually between £50 and £250) please get in touch with the Committee
How can we carry on when so many Carnivals are being lost? Well, ours is a different model, perhaps a more traditional approach. We don't rely on Local Authority funding; instead we rely on the generosity of local people and businesses and on a vast number of volunteer helpers, some working on Carnival weekend, others working throughout the year to plan and prepare for the big day. To everyone who has given so generously of their time, their money, their vehicles or their goods we say a huge THANK YOU.
It is always good to welcome new people to the team and had there been such a prize then 'Best Newcomer of 2016' would have been won by Anthony Durrant. All he got for his trouble was two lukewarm bottles of beer and a huge sense of satisfaction of a job well done. But on the other side of the coin we were very sad to learn of the death of Kathy Bovington on the eve of Carnival from a massive heart attack; Kathy made a major contribution to the life of Dagnall and will be seriously missed. How ironic then that one quarter of the money raised by the Carnival will be used to purchase defibrillators, one for Edlesborough and one for Northall, so that all our villages will be equipped with this potentially life saving equipment.
Even as Committee members continue to clear up from the weekend work has begun on preparing for next year. We hope that once again local businesses and organisations will use the Carnival to promote what they do to the local community and that we will see you all again next year on the first Saturday in July as usual - 1st July 2017
== Gordon Gray, Chairman of the Carnival Committee
Results
Winner of weekend for 2 in Rome
- Emma Pearson
Winner of sculpture carved by Will Lee
- Rachel Jaggs
Best decorated houses - Edlesborough
- Trophy and Gold Medal - 30 Pebblemoor
- Gold Medal winner - 44-46 High Street
Best decorated houses - Eaton Bray
- Trophy & Gold Medla winner - 27 Moor End
- Gold Medal winners - 130 High Street, 100 High Street, 9 High Street
Procession
Schools
- 1st - Edlesborough School
- 2nd - Totternhoe School
- 3rd - Eaton Bray Academy
Note: The Opener wanted to award equal first place to these outstanding floats
Youth Organisations
- 1st - 1st Eaton Bray with Edlesborough Scouts
- 2nd - Curtain Call
- 3rd - KF Performing Arts
Others
- 1st - The Morris family
- 2nd - J Able Bathrooms
- 3rd - JoAnn Latus School of Dance
Carnival Queen
The draw to select this year's Carnival Queen took place on Sunday 17th April.
10 girls entered the draw.
The girls who were selected were:
Carnival Queen - Millie Christie
Carnival Princess - Daisy Potton
Attendants - Frida Merino & Isabel Marsh
Special thanks must go to the management and staff of:
- Edlesborough Flowers
- Flicks & Bangs
for, respectively providing flowers for the girls and doing their hair on Carnival Day,
Thanks also to Kathy Ellis who looks after the girls so magnificently.
Photos from St Mary's Village Carnival 2016
Photos by Greg Baker are available on the St Mary's Village Carnival Facebook page .
If you have any of your own to share, please email them to [email protected].