Lymington and Pennington Community Carnival and Fete cancelled

NEXT weekend's Lymington carnival has been cancelled due to a lack of funds and residents "exhausting their efforts" celebrating the Queen's jubilee weekend.

Arranged for Sunday 10th July, it has been three years since the last Lymington and Pennington Community Carnival and Fete, with previous events falling victim to the pandemic.

It was hoped the traditional colourful procession would be held through the town centre, with a host of stalls and activities filling the nearby sports ground.

Organised by the Lymington Community Association and the Lions Club, the theme was to be 'My Favourite Film', and the Bournemouth Carnival Band and the Caledonia Pipe Band had already been booked.

However, following a meeting, the groups have now announced the event has been called off, with its main sponsor pulling out and locals seemingly burnt out from Her Majesty's platinum celebrations.

Rachel Smith, centre manager for the Lymington Community Association, said the decision had been made "with deep regret".

"This decision has not been taken lightly as we were all very much looking forward to having the carnival and carnival fete for everyone to come together for a fun day of celebrations.

"We have tried hard to encourage the community, local businesses, and schools to get involved.

"It appears that everyone has exhausted their efforts with celebrations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee weekend at the beginning of June – quite rightly so as this special milestone should be celebrated."

She added: "In addition, we lost our main sponsor for the event and have been unable to secure new funding at this time.

"We will be looking for new sponsors for future events moving forward."

However, Ms Smith said a date for next year's event had been confirmed.

"On a positive note, it has been agreed to rearrange the event for 2023 on Sunday 9th July when we will have a carnival and fete in Lymington to remember."

The Lymington Community Association took over running the carnival after previous organiser Lymington and Brockenhurst Lions Club closed its doors in December 2020.

The club was wound up due to Covid pressures after 31 years of fundraising, but member Ian Duncan said he would be on hand to guide the association through its first year of organising the carnival.

Planning for next year's event will start in November. Those wanting to take part should email carnival@lymingtoncommunity.com