Carnival fever hits Melksham (From Wiltshire Times)
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Carnival fever hits Melksham
3:39pm Wednesday 19th July 2006 in Melksham
Clowning around won first prize in the private and individual group this was a family affair as grandmother daughter and grand children for many years have put a float together for the carnival. (18813/ 1)
The sun shone on Melksham carnival and Party in the Park at the weekend as crowds turned out in force to see the procession.
Floats of all shapes and sizes made their way out of the Cooper-Avon factory and through the town centre. The first float out contained five-year-old Lauren Booth, of Haydock Close, Chippenham, who battled through meningitis when she was only six weeks old.
The disease left her deaf, with speech and language problems and trouble with her balance, but she and her family all dressed up as clowns and Lauren really enjoyed her day in the limelight. Accompanying her was mum, Lisa Jayne, 36, brother Aaron, eight, and lots of friends and family who all collected money for charity as the procession weaved through the streets.
Mrs Booth said: "We were glad it was on Saturday not Sunday because it would have been too hot. "The procession stopped at one point and we had to ask people at the side of the road to fill up our water bottles."
The annual dog show in King George V Playing Fields was a great success, particularly as this year there was a separate Companion Dog Show under Kennel Club rules. Carola Cooper, organiser of the dog show, said: "The whole event was fantastically supported, there were 29 entries for the best local resident."
Best local resident was won by Jan Kennedy with her 11-year-old poodle, Witch, and best puppy was won by Angela Yarwood, with her Basset hound, Scarlet.
There was live music in the park all day with lots of local bands and soloists and the three Pop Idol winners Chas Brown, 14, Sophie Rose, 15, and Amy Griggs, 16, and there was also a performance by singing group Starry Eyes from Trowbridge.
Coldplay tribute band, Coldplace, played the headline spot and went down a storm with the crowds and there were entertaining sideshows like school pupils from George Ward School and Kings Park Primary walking over wood burning embers at 1,760 degrees Fahrenheit.
- For full report and two pages of pictures of Melksham Carnival and Party in the Park see this Friday's Wiltshire Times
