For a number of reasons, we have come to the conclusion that we will not be able to organise a carnival this year. Here is the text of a letter from Bryan Harper, chairman of the Newbury Carnival commitee, which explains why. As you will see it is very much our intention to use this year to reflect on the future of the event and to find ways to ensure that it becomes a permanent fixture on Newbury's calendar.
Watch this space for information about the public meeting which we are planning to discuss the future of the event. And if you have ideas about ways of ensuring the success of future carnivals, or ideas about the questions posed in Bryan's letter, please let us know what they are by using the comments facility below.
11th February 2008
It has been both an honour and a privilege to chair the Newbury Carnival Committee for the last two years.
When the current team took on the task back at the end of 2005 it was with two objectives.
The first was to re-establish the Carnival as a premier event in Newbury’s calendar and make a special day for everyone to enjoy. I hope that, in this respect, the evidence will speak for itself: 42 parade entries in 2006, 55 entries in 2007 and nearly 1000 people taking part and many more thousands lining the streets. The support has been overwhelming, demonstrating to us that Newbury loves its Carnival, and that many people benefit from it. It is the only event of its kind in Newbury.
The second was to make the Carnival sustainable in the longer term and to put it on a firmer footing, so that it would not be subject to the peaks and troughs of recent years, but become a permanent fixture.
The Carnival is run entirely by volunteers who give up their time freely. For a variety of reasons, many of those who have given so much time to the last two Carnivals, are unable to do so this year. Because of this, we are unable to commit to running the event this year.
However, we are committed to find a way to ensure that the Carnival thrives and prospers without relying on a small number of individuals. To achieve this, we believe that we need to reach out to other local groups, organizations and individuals and achieve a wider ownership of the event. The Carnival does, after all, belong to Newbury, not to just a few individuals on a committee.
To this end we have decided to hold a meeting in the spring for everyone who is interested in the future of the Carnival. The meeting will include some brainstorming on some of the questions which have occurred to us. Should the Carnival be a two yearly event? Is there a permanent group or organisation which could take on its administration? Can we secure a permanent source of funding to provide the £6000 it costs to run the event? How can we involve as many people as possible? Should it be combined with other town events? Can we find ways of linking the different carnivals in West Berkshire so that they can benefit from each others’ efforts? Can funding be found for a permanent part time post to administer the event? How can the event grow and develop?
We hope that as many people as possible will be able to attend the meeting. The date and venue will be advised in due course.
In the meantime, may I take this opportunity of thanking everyone who has helped and supported us in the last two years, including those who have taken part and the many thousands who have lined the streets to cheer and thrown money into the collecting buckets.
To each and everyone, I hope there will be many more good Newbury Carnivals to come.
Regards
Bryan Harper
Chairman,
Newbury Carnival
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15 comments:
I think it would be a good idea to run the carnival every other year - that way it would come back fresh and those who organise floats, and the carnival itself, would be less likely to suffer from 'burn out'.
I think it will be a great shame if the carnival is put on hold as the organisers have put so much effort into re-energising the Carnival - it was better than ever last year. Well done to the organisers for their work to far. I suspect that no-one will volunteer and then there will be complaint letters to the NWN!
I think the organisers have done a great job these last two years and deserve all the support they can get.
How about applying for the Greenham Gift? £50k ought to keep the carnival going for a few years.
The organisers have done so well over the last 2 years, it would be such a shame to see the Carnival disappear. I think there is a lot of support for the Carnival to continue so maybe enough people will come forward and volunteer their services. A bi-annual event would cut down on the volunteers workload.
Having recently moved away from the area, I am sorry to hear the Carnival has been cancelled. After all the hard work by many getting it back on track two years ago, it's a shame that it's come to a halt so soon. It was great fun covering the event live on the radio, especially two years ago when we didn't know what to expect in terms of turn out, and the weather was stunning. Loads of fun. Hopefully it won't be the end for Newbury Carnival, as we saw what a marvellous event it can be and how many people got involved and came out to watch the parade. A big well done to Bryan and the team for their efforts over the last two years.
It is such a shame that due to lack of volunteers the Newbury Carnival, which was bigger and better than ever last year, has to be cancelled. Could you try some of the larger companies in the area eg Bayer, or Vodafone to source volunteers perhaps?
We really enjoyed it last year and we think it a great pity its not running this.
We ate the Childrens Soccer Academy offer any help we canb to make it happen asap.
Newbury needs a bright cheery day to be happy in the sun!
Roger Moon
As the nominated charity for the 2007 Carnival and the first time I entered, I feel very saddened by this news. Bi-annually does seem to be a good idea but it is still dependent upon volunteers being sought. Perhaps applying for the Greenham Common Gift would be a good idea. No-one wants to see an end to the Newbury Carnival - it is a shining example of people working together, both behind the scenes and at the forefront on the day! Thank you for all the hard work that has been done, and is still ongoing.
Other towns run carnivals each year. Surely they are not run by volunteers all the time? Volunteers do a fantastic job on top of everything else in their lives, and Bryan Harper and his team have been amazing with all their hard work for Newbury Carnival. Newbury is a big town and a yearly carnival should be built into town planning budgets and run by an official carnival committee each and every year. It should not have to rely on the goodwill and hard work of unpaid volunteers who have to scratch around for money every year. The Town Council seems the obvious choice to run it but they need to do it properly and with as much hard work that Bryan and his team have put in in the past.
If it was every other year, what about alternating it with another event in the town? I expect everyone has trouble getting volunteers. It would be good if someone could co-ordinate the different things going on Newbury throughout the year.
Myself and my Wife are Public Relations Officers for Earl Rivers Regiment, based at Donnington Castle and have both grown up in Newbury. It was upsetting to hear that the carnival does not have the funding and volunteers this year. We had hoped to join in the festivities with the Regiment. We had been organising a mini battle for the carnival until we heard about it being cancelled. We would still like to do this for the future and had been hoping to secure £2000 for the event in Victoria Park.
As we are organising the massive re-enactment of the 1st battle of Newbury for 2010, we have also found sponsorship to be a problem. In our research we found that Greenham Trust do the Greenham Gift ( As previously said) and smaller grants being of £10,000, maybe this is what should be applied for.
All our members are Newbury based, if any of us have spare time to help our Carnival then please contact me on 07788431506.
Donnington Castle Garrison.
A Company of the Earl Rivers Regiment of Foote.
www.earlrivers.org.uk
As a regular supporter of Newbury Carnival I, like everyone else am disappointed that it has been put ‘on hold’. A great local event that has run for many years, dwindling on a couple of occasions, only to rise again, like the proverbial phoenix, into a magnificent day out. It’s rise and fall governed entirely by the commitment from the organizers.
A lot of work goes into organizing it, carried out by people who already have very busy lives. The work put in by all the participants is also phenomenal. Both are done with passion and the drive to make the day a success.
The organizers should be proud of their achievement in giving Newbury a day full of fun but, most of all, demonstrating that the community spirit is very much alive and kicking.
It would be pleasing to see more people come forward, from local businesses and organizations and ‘take turns’ in organizing it, rather than leaving it to the same people who put in all the effort each year. Once every two years maybe the answer but it still needs dedicated people behind it.
If the resources were available, an Events Manager for the town would be ideal. A dedicated person whose purpose would be to attract visitors to the town, planning a whole year of events including the Carnival and other initiatives, such as, a night time, illuminated canal barge parade.
Failing that, somewhere out there, there are many people who could be actively involved, who have the ability to make a difference. The Carnival is part of Newbury’s tradition, it makes people remember, with affection, what a great place it is
I think the carnival should be annual. I havent been involved in organising such an event but with more businesses focussing on corporate social responsibility surely there are more opportunities for fund raising/sponsorship than ever. Have the promoters of the new cinema and shopping centre been approached? If all local businesses contributed just 100 pound each or provided one member of staff for one day would this not solve the issue?
Why not combine the Newbury Carnival with the Newbury Waterways Festival? The Festival needs all the help it can get, as a main charity (The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust) within this town, helping to keep such an important waterway open to all is vital. We need to preserve our history and at the same time promote the canal for the next generations to come. Perhaps by combining two such events a higher status can be given to them with a higher level of interest and turnout. The Waterways Festival is held on the last weekend of July each year - so the Carnival could take place on the sunday. The Waterways Festival is now going to be themed (this year for example - "The Wind in the Willows" - so the theme could be used for the carnival. It would be a great way of keeping the carnival alive annually and at the same time promoting and aiding a local charity.
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