A RALLYING call has been issued for volunteers and organisations to help bring back the annual Droitwich Spa Carnival after almost 40 years.
To go ahead, the idea will need a lot of support, and if enough people come forward, there are plans to have the procession on themed canal boats rather than lorry floats to honour the town’s heritage.
Coun George Duffy, Chairman of the Droitwich Spa Carnival Committee, said: “To bring back the Droitwich Spa Carnival, we need lots of people to give just a couple of hours on the day to keep the parade going the right way.
“Just as importantly, we need a few good communicators to give a few hours a month to help with any part of co-ordinating attractions, liaising with partners, running meetings and creating a memory that will last.”
Coun Duffy added the success of other festivals in Droitwich helped inspire community leaders to kickstart plans for the carnival’s return but added time was limited, along with the amount those currently involved could do on their own.
In the past, the Droitwich Carnival used to be in the heart of the community with Droitwich lorries dressed up by local shops and charities, pet shows, fancy dress pub crawls, and a dance competition to find the carnival queen.
Eunice Williams, 77, is one of the few living members of the original carnival committee 45 years ago.
She said: “It would be wonderful if it came back.
“Our last carnival queen must be in her 60s now, so it would be lovely for the children to experience it again.”
She added how back then, the committee did not have telephones, so relied on knocking on doors to organise the event, which would take almost a year of planning.
For health and safety reasons and a lack of volunteers made, the carnival came to an end in the 80s.
Coun Richard Morris remembered the carnival when he was a child.
He said: “If we got the carnival back, it would be brilliant.
“To bring it back would help bring the community together, and it would be different from the other events we do.”
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