23rd July:
If you'd like to hear what some of those who participated in
this year's carnival thought about the day, click here to download or play an MP3
file containing some brief interviews. It's about 3 minutes
long and is a 2 megabyte download.
21st July:
We've received lots of very kind and positive comments about
this year's
carnival via the press and in person - for which we're very
grateful - so it would be
a great shame not to do it again next year. So, to cut a
short
story even shorter, we will. Sunday 1st July 2007 is the date
you
need to put in your diary. In the meantime we've created a Newbury Carnival
blog
(well, everyone else is doing it) where you can post your very own
ideas for next year's event. Incidentally, one very good reason
for holding another carnival next year is that we've already heard from
fifteen organisations who want to take part. If you'd like to
do
so as well, please contact us via one of the methods on our contact
page to let us know. The show, as they say, must go on!
17th July:
We've
added some more photographs to our online collection, this time from
local photographer David Hatfull. To view the pictures click
here,
select David's set on the right hand side and then 'view as slideshow'.
We'll be adding the interviews mentioned below later today,
so
don't forget to check back later.
The online photos are published in low resolution (i.e. lower quality)
versions, but we have decided to sell prints based on the higher
resolution versions in order to raise funds for future carnivals.
If you'd like to buy copies please email us via the address
on
our contact page and we will send you details of prices and how to
order.
2nd July: Hmm,
I'm sure that there was something important that I needed to remember
about the 2nd of July. What was it? Oh well, I'm sure it'll
come back to me - looks like a nice day for a spot of gardening or
perhaps a walk by the......JUST A MINUTE! IT'S THE BIG DAY!!!!!
Carnival Mission Control is already buzzing with activity and the
countdown has entered its final hours.
- Getting yourself down to Newbury town centre today. Remember that while today’s events include the parade, there’s a lot more to the Carnival than that, including a Fun Run in Victoria Park, loads of stalls and lots of entertainment in the park all afternoon. And don’t forget the fancy dress competition!
- You don’t have to sit next to Wayne Rooney on the flight home today.
- Andy Murray, our new all-British sports hero! Come on Andy!
- Next
time Theo will be the star of the tournament and
- You’re not Brazilian or Argentinian (commiserations, obviously, if you are).
- We invented football – it’s very bad form to invent a game and then go round beating other people at it. Imagine how popular that would have made you at school. By losing we've become even more popular world-wide than we already are.
- We don’t
have to suffer the agony of seeing
- You aren’t (unless you’ve picked a very unusual way to take your mind off yesterday!) Wayne Rooney.
- We’ve still got the Ashes.
- This song.
All together now...I suspect that this may possibly may be played during
Kick FM's live broadcast from Victoria Park (they are there from
10.00am to 4.00pm).
We really hope that you enjoy today’s
events. Whether or not you’re going to
be in fancy dress, there are lots of ways of joining in. The
Met team (see below) have replaced their broken £8000 computer
with a piece of seaweed and are 99.5% certain that it's going to be
hot!!
1st July: If
you want to hear about the Carnival, there's only one place to go: our
official radio station, Kick FM. Kick have been giving us
excellent coverage t
oday
(thanks guys!) and tomorrow there will be a special breakfast programme
with Charlotte Butt and Chris Rose followed by James O'Neil who will be
broadcasting live from Kick's big stage Victoria Park right through
from 10.00am to 4.00pm. I have retuned my wireless from Radio 4
to Kick to keep in touch with all the updates. (Am I allowed to
mention Radio 4?) Mission control has us as go for launch at noon
today: 1560 minutes and counting.
30th June: I
mentioned the question of why we're doing this below. Here's part
of the answer - an extract from an email that a member
of this year's organising committee sent to other members of the team
following a visit to one of the entrants, a local infants school, this
morning:
'The Friends of the School (the PA) are organising the float for the
Parade. But additionally, the staff have taken the 'Around the World'
theme and integrated it into teaching time. Over 200 children and
adults have been involved, including the youngest nursery classes.
(Their 'footprints' will decorate the sides of the float, for
example.) The infant classes have started every day this week by
'checking-in' to the airport (
i.e. the school hall), where they learn which country they will be
visiting today. The hall becomes the inside of an aircraft - the
windows are blanked out, with pictures of clouds floating past - and
each class then 'flies' to a different country each day. The staff
prepared 5 days of lesson plans based around the countries Kenya, Peru,
India, Spain, and Australia. Via school newsletters, parents were
invited to become involved and bring in anything relevant e.g.
digeridoos, African art, clothes and costumes from the relevant lands,
and the children have learnt about and experienced the differing
cultures in these 5 continents. For example, when I visited 'India',
the staff were dressed in colourful saris, and 'Kenya' was looking
forward to an afternoon including African dancing.'
Amazing stuff: restores your confidence in human nature, doesn't it?
30th June: If
you haven't already bought your copy of the Newbury Weekly News make
sure you get hold of one today. It includes a special Carnival
pull out (you'll find it in the centre of section 2 of the paper) which
explains the what, when, where and who of this year's event.
(We're still working on the 'Why?', but it seemed like a good
idea at the time.) Please note that the pull out doesn't mention
the fancy dress competition (see right) because we only thought of that
on Wednesday and the supplement had already been printed!
30th June: Let
me paint a picture of the scene here at Carnival Mission Control. The centre
of the operation is the control room - dimly lit, banks of glowing
computer screens plot the thousands of activities which have to be
coordinated for the big day. At them sit rows of dedicated
carnival organisers, muttering calmly into their headset microphones
as they 'talk in' the numerous entries: ('Roger Winchombe. That's
an affirmative for thirteen hundred zulu at Pound Street - I have
you descending through flight level two three zero, yankee
echo sierra: good day...'). The Met Team are huddled in another
of their morning meetings (see below) preparing for the 10.00 'big
meeting'. Coordinating all this from his swivelling commander's chair
in the centre of the rom is our Chairman (also see below). Calm,
efficient - the model of a leader (think Jean-Luc Picard, but with
hair) it is he who keeps this complex enterprise burning and turning.
Someone will suggest something - such as a last minute fancy dress
competition - and with a calm smile and a nod, he simply says 'Make it
so'. And we do. On
Sunday, at precisely 1348 hours, the Chairman will don his headset and
'call out' the various heads of section as the countdown reaches the
final minutes. 'Marshalls?' 'Go!' 'Float numbering?' 'Go!'
'Judges?' 'Go!' 'Photography?' 'Go!' and so on until we get to the
magic words 'Newbury Carnival 2006 - you are go for lift off!'
See you on Sunday
29th June: A
couple of things to tell you about today. First, our meteorology
team have just finished their first morning meeting and the general
view that seems to be emerging is that either it's going to be very hot on Sunday or
their new £8,000 computer has broken again and it will pour with
rain. Anyway, they reckon you can almost certainly leave the
wellies (see below) at home, and that if you bring an umbrella it could
double as a parasol. They strongly recommend lots of bottled water, big floppy hats and a gallon or two of industrial strength sun block.
Secondly, and we can hardly believe this ourselves, we've just created
a new feature for this year's carnival! Just four days before
it's due to take place! Have we completely taken leave of our senses?!
(Quite possibly, is the answer to that one.) But we think you're
going to like it (in fact, I suggest you sit down before you finish the
end of this sentence, in case you faint with the excitement of it all):
it's our brand new
Carnival Fancy Dress Competition! OK - I spoiled the surprise
element there a bit by writing the Stop Stop Press above after I
finished the last sentence, but you're still excited aren't you? Take a
few deep breaths before you continue to the next paragraph.
Here's the deal: i. join the crowd on Sunday in fancy dress (anything
you like from a decorated hat - preferably a floppy one, see first
paragraph - to a full all-singing-all-dancing costume) ii. come
to the Kick FM stage area in Victoria Park at 3.45pm to find out
whether you've won a £100 prize. What could be simpler?
No forms to fill in and everyone's got a way to join in the fun.
Let's make Sunday the biggest fancy dress party the town has ever seen!
(Phew, I'm so excited that I'm going to have to have a little sit down
and a nice cup of tea.)
PS we don't actually have a meteorology team or an £8,000
computer: I made that bit up. Also, I'm well aware that I've used
more than my quota of exclamation marks for one day!
28th June: As
I write, some of the world's most powerful computers are straining
every processor trying to figure out what the weather will be like on
Sunday afternoon in Newbury. Their current best guess
is that it will be hot and sunny (hurrah!) but the weather is
determined to resist forecasting so things might change. (There's
a more interesting weather map here
- wait for the animation to load then press 'play'.) Currently
we're hedging our bets and recommending that participants and crowd
members bring copious quanities of sun block, umbrellas, sun hats and
wellington boots.
27th June: We're delighted to announce that the winner of our first ever Best Dressed Shop Windowcompetition
is Bravo! (hairdressers) in Bartholomew Street (at the
junction with Market St.). Congratulations to them on a brilliant
interpretation of this year's 'Around the World' theme. As they
have two windows on the shop front, they chose "East Meets West" as the
basis for their design. Until we get hold of a photo, you'll have
to pop along yourself to find out exactly how they carried this
off - it's very clever. Many thanks also to all the other
entrants - look out for them when you're in town.
It was difficult to choose a winner, but we hope that all
entrants enjoyed putting together their displays and that you'll enter
again next year.
Bravo will be presented with their prize, a Jereboam of champagne, on
Sunday. Bravo! open on Sundays, incidentally, so if you would like some
assistance in making yourself look as good as possible for the
demanding role of crowd member - see last news item - they'd be
delighted to help, bookings permitting. You can visit their excellent website for more details. (Is that Graham Norton they have working for them? Surely not!)
26th June: During
the build up to a Carnival much of the attention is focussed on the
parade entrants, all the events taking place in Victoria Park and the
1001 details that need to be sorted out before the day. But what
about members of the crowd? Surely their preparation is just as
important, you'll be thinking to yourself, and you'd be right. A
carnival without a crowd would be a complete waste of time and careful crowd
member preparation is vital. Here are two things you can do to get ready for Sunday.
First,
take a clean empty jar out of your recycling basket and place it in
a prominent position in your home or workplace. Every time you
pass
the jar put some spare change into it (your jar will look much like the
example on the left by Sunday morning if you do this properly). Then
bring all the change along
on the day to put in the numerous buckets that will pass before you.
Secondly, you'll want to look as good as possible during the carnival
because we have an Official Carnival Photographer for this year's event
- David Hatfull of local firm Diem Photography
has kindly agreed to take photographs this year. Check back here
after the carnival to see what he produces. I will be taking a
comb to this year's carnival (increasingly superfluous though that is as
the years pass by) to ensure that I look immaculate at all times.
24th June: With
the Northbrook Street refurbishment nearly complete - looking wonderful
today, and packed with people - we're nearly ready to rumble.
Just a week tomorrow. Dare we tempt fate by mentioning that
the weather forecast is looking pretty good for Sunday the 2nd as well?
Well, it is and I don't think me typing a few words on a computer
has much bearing on what's going on in the atmosphere.
23rd June: A
number of shops in Newbury have told us that, this weekend, they are
going to decorate their windwos in celebration of the Carnival.
Excellent news and we're going to give a jereboam of Champagne to
the best one! In particular, go and have a look at the windows of:
Fabricland
Painted Pottery
Bravo! hairdressing
Bags, etc.
Desperado, and
The Newbury Weekly News
If you are decorating a shop-front in Bartholomew St. Northbrook Street
or the Kennet Centre specially for Carnival Day please let us know.
22nd June: OK,
let's try some word association. If I say 'Ferrari' w
hat springs
to mind? Red? Speed? Sophistication? Prancing horse? Newbury Carnival? Schumie? Sophia
Loren? La dolce vita? Voda....just a minute! Did I spot Newbury Carnival in there?
Not so daft, as it turns out, because our most recent entry for
the parade is - wait for it - the Thames Valley Ferrari Owners' Club!
Wow! Personally, I can't wait to hear some of Maranello's finest crackling along Nortbbrook Street.
And if
that's not enough Ferrari magic for you, scoot along to the Ferrari Fun Day at Highclere Castle on Sunday July 23rd - click here to find out more.
It looks like a superb day out, it's just £10 per car and
it's all in aid of the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust.
(Excellent pic. on the home page, incidentally!)
22nd June: How
often do you hear Ferrari, the Icknield Morris Men and Newbury
Neigbourhood Wardens mentioned in the same sentence? Bet you a
fiver that
you never have, until very
recently. They are all amongst the new entrants to the parade. It's
as much as we can do to keep our list of entries up to date, and there's still time to join!
20th June: There's
a surprising amount to do to organise and run a successful carnival -
with hundreds of people involved both in the parade and in Victoria
Park (we're now looking at running two display arenas!) the more help
we get the better. If you'd like to play a part in one of the
biggest community events in Newbury for some years, please get in touch
via one of the methods detailed here and we'll let you know how you can help.
20th June: What's
the ultimate answer to the ultimate question about life the universe
and everything? As fans of the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
will know it is, of course, 42. Astonishingly, that's exactly the
number of confirmed entries
we have, as of this morning, for the carnival parade! (OK, we
know it's not astonishing - we're just trying to hold your
interest here.) Anyway, there's still time to enter - see the
last entry and this page for details.
18th June: We'll update you with the latest parade entries on Tuesday, but you've still got 5 days, as we write this, to submit your carnival entry.
This year's parade is certainly going to be a whopper - we know
that over 500 people will be involved in the parade alone and it's
still possible to enter as a group, family or even an individual so
long as you get your entry form to us by post or email by Saturday 24th
June. Then, of course, there will be only one week and a day to
go until the big event! Click on the 'enter' link above to find
out how to enter. (Still no vehicle dealers, incidentally - what
a mystery!)
PS
- if you want the name of your entry to appear in the special Newbury
Weekly News supplement which will be appearing on the Thursday before
the carnival, we need your entry by Thursday 22nd June.
14th June: As
you read this you'll be thinking 'How can I get involved in the
Carnival?'. Good question. There are lots of possibilities
- click on the details and entry tabs to find out more. Here's yet another way of participating : join Spokes,
our local cycling organisation, get on your bike on 2nd July and join
in with their entry. What could be simpler? Incidentally, while
we're talking about vehicles, we wrote to all local car dealers in May
inviting them to join our 'Best Presented Vehicle' category.
Response so far: nill. So if you sell vehicles of any kind
and would like to be the first - and perhaps only - dealer to get some
free publicity (and possibly a £300 cheque to take home) click on
the 'Enter' link above.
12th June: Only
time for a very quick update this morning, but West Berkshire
Libraries,The Corn Exchange and - their entry just dropped through the
letter-box here at Newbury Carnival Mission Control - Newbury Buses
have all entered the parade recently. This takes us up to a total of 33
entries: well on the way to our target! There's still
plenty of time to enter the parade: if you need help or advice with
your entry - or any ideas for how you could best enter the parade -
please do get in touch via one of the methods on our contacts page.
We
also have received two entries for our brand new Best Dressed Shop
Window competition - if you'd like to enter this we need to hear from
you as soon as possible: you can email your entry to us if you wish.
7th June:
We were delighted to receive a cheque for £8,000 from the
Greenham Common Trust's Greenham Gift scheme at the final of the
competition, which was held at the Corn Exchange last night. We'd
like to thank everyone who supported us during both phases of the
voting and to congratulate the very worthy winners of the scheme -
Newbury & District Crossroads Caring for Carers - who won the
£50,000 star prize! We'd like to invite all the other
groups on the shortlist to join us at this year's Carnival - what
better way of celebrating success!
2nd June:
Today we topped 30 entries for the parade, including our first
individual entry from Jade Fish, a student at St Gabriel's School.
Jade designed the fant
astic carnival costume pictured below as part of her A level textiles project.
The costume was inspired by a visit to the Notting Hill Carnival
and the Living Rain forest at Hampstead Norryes. Visit our 'enter'
page to find out how you can take part in this year's carnival - and don't forget
that it's free to join in the fun!
30th May: This
year's parade is shaping up very nicely - we'll be accepting entries
for at least another two or three weeks, but if you'd like to see a
list of our current firm bookings please click here.
25th May:
Harley a day goes by without a new entry for the carnival parade
arriving here at Newbury Carnival HQ. No, that wasn't a typo - just a very
clever play on words. OK, perhaps not so clever but we're
delighted that the Oxford Chapter of the Harley Davidson Owners' Group
are joining this year's parade. Click here to find out more about the group
and watch video clips of them in action. Along with the four
Ferraris already booked to enter, we're sure that the Hogs will make a
big impact on the day, aurally as well as visually! (PS We don't actually have a HQ.)
24th May: We're delighted to announce that Kennet Shopping have joined the
ever growing group of sponsors of this year's Carnival. Kennet
Shopping are funding a trad. jazz band that will be playing around town
on the day of the carnival and joining the parade, along with a number
of other musical groups and bands. We are very grateful for this
generous support. If your company would like to help make this
year's carnival the best ever, we're not short of sponsorship
opportunities so do contact us.
Welcome to the Newbury Carnival 2006 Website. We have strong local backing for this year's event. Newbury Building
Society are our main sponsor and we are also being helped by a number of other local organisations - see our sponsors page for a full details. We are very grateful for all their support.
Also, thanks to the generosity of four local haulage firms, a supply of free lorries is available for float organisers. Click here to find out more.
Our theme this year, 'Eighty Days Around The World', provides
endless scope for your imagination. You don't need to 'dress' a
lorry
(although those are available for groups which would like one) - a
simple 'walking float' can be a lot of fun and is very easy to
organise. Entries will include some of Newbury's biggest
organisations through to individuals: it's easy to join in and lots of
fun!
However you wish to get involved, whether participating in the parade,
having a stall in Victoria Park or being one of the thousands of
spectators along the route I hope that Newbury Carnival 2006 proves to
be the fun event for you that we are all working towards.
With All Best Wishes
Bryan Harper
Chairman
Newbury Carnival 2006
click
here to email us