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Hallow-een Carnival Day Is On
(August 04, 2020)The streets of Warminster, traditionally closed on the last Saturday of October for the annual carnival that rounds off the appearance of brilliantly lit floats all over Wessex, will be mostly empty and silent this year.
Always joined by a wide variety of local groups processing from east to west including the odd town councillor somewhere behind the Mayoral charanbac it will survive the pandemic times with its own ‘scary’ hallow’een event this time.
The carnival committee successfully appealed to the town council at a specially convened meeting by Cllr. Pip Ridout on Monday night for money on hold from their annual grant that usually funds the biggest public attendance every year in living memory.
‘We are starting to get entrants in already,’ finance councillors heard as a request from long-serving carnival committee member Sandra Major was read out.
‘We are going to have a hallow’een style parade, a few stalls in the park socially distanced, prizes for winners and things like that.’
The money requested would also help cover the cost of insurance.
The Councillor chairing the meeting, Pip Ridout, had declared an interest but gave the background to the request.
“At the time we did the grants the carnival grant is £3,500 but the carnival is not going ahead,” explained Cllr. Ridout.
“I was going to come up for this,” said Cllr. Chris Spender.
“For the fact that they do not have to pay for the road closure,”
Councillors agreed to release £2,000 and hold the balance of the grant for next year.
“Lets hope we are not in lockdown at the end of October,” cautioned Cllr. Ridout.
* photo: Cllr. Andrew Davis who has probably had more pictures taken of him at the carnival than anyone else.