Thousands of people braved the scorching sun last weekend to cheer on another ‘fantastic’ Melksham Carnival.
Crowds lined the procession route to enjoy over 20 floats and groups. Highlights included a tribute to the blockbuster film, ‘The Greatest Showman’, by Meads of Melksham; a gnome wonderland on the Melksham Rugby Float; high energy dance routines from In2Dance, Enigma and Phoenix Twirlstars; and Peter Jeffries, going by the name of ‘Jurassic Pratt’, riding a handmade dinosaur!
Bucket collections on the day raised £730 for Melksham Carnival.
Committee chair, Becky Burchell told Melksham News, “There was a fantastic atmosphere, everyone had such a great time. It was good to see the sun shining for a change!
“There was a fabulous turnout – thousands of people lined the entire procession route – there was definitely more people than last year. What we really loved was seeing people watch the carnival at the top of town and then walk down to the Market Place to see it again – that really put a smile on our faces.
“The sun really helped get the crowds in the carnival mood – it was a real highlight seeing everyone enjoy themselves after all the hard work we have put in – that’s what carnival is all about. When it all comes together like this it is really uplifting for the whole committee.”
This year’s winners were as follows; Best Float – Melksham Rugby Club. Best Walking Entry – Peter Jefferies as Jurassic Pratt. Best Performance Group – Phoenix Twirlstars. The Royalty Choice went to Phoenix Twirlstars; and the Mayor’s Choice for Outstanding Individual was Fiona Day, who supported the royalty and collected money along the procession route.
As the confetti settles on another successful carnival, the committee members are already looking ahead to next year. “We would love to see more floats next year – that’s what some of the crowd were asking for at the weekend. We have been contacted by a haulage company who have offered to help next year. So if there are groups that would like a float next year, please get in touch.”
To enquire about next year’s carnival, message the carnival committee via www.facebook.com/ MelkshamCarnival.
