Carnival brings summer fun to a day of drizzle

CLOWNING AROUND . . . Joanne Howarth

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THE rain may have been falling, but it did nothing to dampen the spirits at the 45th Failsworth Carnival.

Drizzle conspired to turn the Lord Lane playing fields into a mud bath and attendance was lower than normal, but the 3,000 people who turned out were rewarded for their efforts.

The two-day spectacular began with the parades in which majorettes provided a dash of colour against the dull skies to buoy the hardy spectators.

And the fairground lured the younger visitors, with fun rides like the ladybird cars, the twister and the trampoline.

Carnival queens and princesses had their moment in the spotlight when they were crowned on Saturday afternoon, and the visitors had their eye firmly on the prize with a host the tombolas and prize draws.

Sunday was a feast of musical delights, as performers competed for glory in the Stars in Your Eyes final. Younger guests dazzled in the Bonny Baby competition.

Visitors also enjoyed a falconry display before football fans tried their hand at a penalty shoot-out.

Carnival chairman MelGarner said: “Everything went very well again this year and Failsworth Carnival continues to be the biggest in the North-West.

“Unfortunately, numbers were down from the usual 7,000, but the carnival has a place in the hearts of Failsworth people and the loyal core always make an appearance.

“They know how bad the Lord Lane playing fields can get in bad weather and we will be looking to move the whole event over to the Failsworth School next year if possible.”

The carnival generates huge sums for charity and organisers are expecting to be doling out around £5,000 this year.