by Terry Bearpark
Withernsea’s 100th anniversary carnival got off to a great start on Saturday as hundreds of spectators lined the streets to watch the parade.
Starting from the high school and led by the lifeboat and crew, it made its way along Hull Road, Arthur Street, on to Queen Street, finishing up near Pier Towers and Valley Gardens.
Taking part were representatives of the town’s emergency services, local organisations and groups, and both veteran and modern vehicles.
The parade went off without incident and with minimum disruption to traffic, thanks to the many volunteer marshals who lined the route and controlled traffic at junctions.
Later in the afternoon a large crowd gathered in the Valley Gardens to watch town mayor Cllr Ian Blackburn crown the carnival prince and princesses and present sashes to the attendants.
They will be attending all of the events during the nine-day carnival, the longest of its kind in the country. Music was provided by the Humberside Police Band and Bandanarama. A children’s disco was held in the Meridian Centre in the evening.
Sunday saw a village fete day in the Valley Gardens with music by Leon. The fancy dress and baking contests attracted plenty of entries, and there was a good turnout for the family quiz in the Meridian Centre in the evening.
Monday was the very popular beach day, with prizes for sandcastles and pebble pictures and Dig for Treasure had youngsters turning over the beach for booty.
A Gameshow Night took place at the Meridian Centre while local historian Wendy Graves hosted one of her popular history walks. Tuesday saw the family fun move to the lighthouse, followed by darts at the golf club and family bingo at the Pier Hotel.
The Meridian Centre was the host venue on Wednesday for fun and shows with a pyjama party in the evening, ahead of a blue plaque walk around the town.
Planning started last January with carnival chairman John Patchett and his small, hard-working committee arranging events, some new and many old favourites, in various locations.
Sponsorship and support have been provided by local businesses and organisations including Local Trust, Big Local, Withernsea and District Lions Club, Aldi, Withernsea Town Council, Community Fund, Larsen & Co, Tesco, Game King, RAOB, Hull and East Riding Charitable Trust, Gateway Community Care Hub and East Riding Council.
