Feeling hot, hot, hot as Woodley Carnival brings community together

BY JACKY HAYLER

PHOTOS BY PAUL KING

Afly-past by a Spitfire kicked off Woodley Carnival at the weekend.

The annual carnival brought community groups and businesses together in Woodford Park for the biggest outdoor event in Woodley town’s calendar.

The beautiful weather continued to make this one of the hottest carnival days on record. Braving the heat was former Prime Minister and MP for Maidenhead and Sonning resident Teresa May, who took to the stage.

There was a classic car show, featuring some iconic motors from days gone by and JAC Outreach brought a range of animals, including ponies, a giant tortoise, and some goats.

The dog show was touch and go because of the heat but went ahead with plenty of water supplied and as much shade as possible. Categories included cutest puppy, best rescue, longest lay down and stay, loveliest lady and fabulous fella. Winners of each category went forward for the judges’ champion.

Always at the heart of the carnival are performances by local groups and this year did not disappoint. Music was well catered for as the Barberettes kicked off the afternoon with California Dreaming, closely followed by a performance from the Primary School Choir. And there was lots of dance from BPD Dance Company, the Advance School of Dance, Allied School of Dance and Nive Indian Dance. Kick Twist were your cheerleaders for the day and the Starmaker Theatre Company also took to the stage.

For younger visitors there was a variety of free activities thanks to their headline sponsors.

Kids could go for a bounce around the Inflatable World thanks to Woodleys Estate Agents, watch some jaw dropping BMX Stunts by Team M.A.D thanks to Trademark Windows, take a trip on the Smiley Train courtesy of Lock Solutions or go exploring in the mobile cave thanks to K J Smith Solicitors.

Community groups love Woodley Carnival and there were plenty to choose from for a chat. The guides and scouts were there along with charities including Oxfam, JAC, ARC Counselling, the Salvation Army, Lunch Bunch, the Lions’ human fruit machine and Thames Valley Hospice. And the overwhelming response from those manning the stalls was how well the day had been organised.

My Wokingham spoke to one of the committee team Maggie Carroll as she manned the information gazebo. “The carnival is nearly a year in the making as planning starts at the beginning of September. We had a fabulous team of groundsmen setting everything up from Thursday – people don’t realise how much goes into organising the carnival. The logistics team are amazing but we are all passionate about the event.”

And the party didn’t end when the sun went down.

The popular evening concert was one big party full of community spirit and fun.

With the stalls and attractions from the afternoon packed away there was plenty of space to spread out and enjoy a picnic in the park.

Topping the bill once again was the fabulous Vintage Sound Collective with their blend of authentic, classy, soul, funk, reggae, pop and disco tracks.

They were ably supported by The Side Project with high energy rock classics, Brit Pop/Indie band Brick Top and Soultrax, who opened the evening at 6pm with their soulful sounds.

With a firework finale lighting the sky to bring the 2023 carnival to a close, it rounded off a fun-filled day for another year – see you for Woodley Carnival 2024!