The show must go on (From Swindon Advertiser)

Wroughton Carnival will go ahead... but more help is needed

7:30am Friday 4th January 2013 in News By Katie Bond

WROUGHTON Carnival WILL go ahead this year despite a struggle to find new committee members.

Meetings and leaflet drops around the village have helped find just enough members to secure the carnival’s future for another year.

The event, which has been a highlight in Wroughton’s calendar for many years, was affected by heavy rainfall in 2012.

The carnival committee were forced to make emergency plans in the morning to move the stalls and musical entertainment from the Weir Field into the church hall, the Fox and Hounds, the working men’s club and The Brown Jack.

Funfair rides still took place on the field, but the firework display which was scheduled for the end of the carnival had to be called off.

Despite this, it was estimated that 3,000 people turned out for the carnival. But as there was no entry fee because of the numerous locations, the committee was only able to cover costs and could not give any money to community groups and organisations.

The future of the 2013 event had been looking bleak and numerous messages were posted on the carnival’s Facebook page in a bid to attract attention and recruit new volunteers to join the committee.

Now the latest edition of the parish magazine announces the event will go ahead, although more help would still be appreciated.

Speaking on behalf of Wroughton Carnival Committee, Lynne Matthews said: “After many sleepless nights, and leaflet dropping around the village, thankfully we now finally have enough members to ensure the carnival for 2013 will go ahead, much to the delight of many a villager.

“A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes to ensure the day is a success and we continue to not only put on a great day, but also we continue to contribute to many local charities, often including the schools and pre-schools in the village.

“We would like to continue this way so, if there is anyone out there that would also like to get involved, then why not come along to the next meeting.

“There are many ways you can get involved, from helping with the advertising, organising the scarecrow competition and helping in many other departments, even the smallest amount of help would be very much appreciated.

“And if everyone can start with praying for sunshine for the day itself, that would be a great start!”

Last year, the procession saw 17 organisations taking part, with about 400 people, and it included Arabian nights, gangsters, Worzel Gummidge, pirates and the Olympics as themes.

If you would like to help out, the next meeting will take place on January 16 at 8pm at the White Hart in Wroughton.

To keep up to date with news and events, ‘like’ the Wroughton Carnival Facebook page.