KEve

Published at 01:00, Monday, 05 June 2006

By Kelly Eve

A BUS load of elderly Workington women took part in their first-ever carnival and went home with a top honour.

The 10 Age Concern members – all in their eighties and nineties – from Laybourne House in Moorclose won the open class for their Footballers’ Wives of 1966 entry in Saturday’s parade.

They were among the 270-plus that entered the parade around the sunny streets of Workington, the highest total ever recorded by the current carnival organiser Tracey Sharp.

Thousands of spectators also lined the town centre streets and enjoyed an array of activities laid on at the Mill Field, in the shadow of Curwen Hall, on Saturday and Sunday.

Only 12 weeks ago, the town faced losing its carnival due to a lack of support.

Tracey said: “The weather brought everyone out. We’ve never had to give out so many medals to those who took part in the parade.

“It was surprising how many adults came dressed up with their children ready to take part and entered the carnival. I was at the back of the parade and at one point my sister called me to say that it was just entering Murray Road, I was way back still on Oxford Street outside Lennon’s garage.”

She added: “The ladies who were the Footballers Wives were on a specially decorated bus with their carers. They were all in their eighties and nineties and had never been in a carnival in their lives. They won the open class, they were brilliant. I heard they were almost fighting over the trophy on the way back because one was holding longer than the other.”

A last-minute hitch almost spoiled plans for carnival queen Lesley-Ann Barry, 11, of South William Street, to go round on a horse-drawn carriage. But local car dealership Dobies Vauxhall came to the rescue.

Mrs Sharp said: “I got a call at Friday tea-time to say that the horse had taken a kick and was being rested but there was a real possibility that it may not be fit for the parade.

“We had to ring round everywhere trying to come up with a suitable alternative just in case. Eventually, Dobies Vauxhall called to say they’d managed to sort out a brand new car that had only just come in that day. It didn’t even have its trims on or anything.

“They spent three hours that night fixing it up for us. In the end our retiring queen, Hayley Sharp, went round in it.”

The carnival committee was pleased to see that the Vine Bar pub entered a float, complete with a bucking bronco and cowgirls. It is now hoped other pubs will follow suit next year.

Others taking part on Saturday included drag queens from the Steam Packet pub, former Allerdale leader Mark Fryer disguised as a giant clown, more than 50 children and 30 parents from St Michael’s Church and the Workington and District civic trust, members of which travelled in a vintage bus.

On Sunday there was a duck race, CFM roadshow, funfair, a tug-o-war with eight pub teams entered and a junior football competition with 160 youngsters taking part.

The weekend’s success appears to have inspired people to put down their names to get involved in organising next year’s event.

Sponsors included Thomas Armstrong, Salterbeck Residents Association, Modern Homes, Dobies, Voridian, Lola Homes and Millican Waters.

KEve@cngroup.co.uk

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk