Banks Carnival to return after absence of more than 30 years to mark Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Mar 8 2012 by Rob Pattinson, Ormskirk Advertiser

BANKS Carnival is set to return this summer for the first time in over 30 years – to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The right Royal June 4 event will be an all-day celebration at Hesketh Avenue Open Space.

The nostalgia-filled day will feature a carnival queen, a float procession, the return of the village’s Morris Dancers and a concert by Banks Brass Band.

North Meols Parish Council formed the Queen’s Jubilee Committee – made up of residents and community groups from the area – which has been organising the carnival, the first in Banks since 1979.

And, if it is a success, it could return as an annual event.

North Meols parish councillor Paul Blane said: “This will be huge. When it ended, a lot of people felt the community lost a valuable asset.

“It’s just a great opportunity to be able to bring it back to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and we want to make it one big party in the park.” Events on the day will include a range of stalls, a tug-of-war, a skateboard and BMX demonstration and the final of a five-a-side football tournament run by Banks Residents Association.

The two primary schools, St Stephens CE and Banks Methodist, will be running a sports day featuring traditional games from years gone by, and Banks Methodist will also be running a scarecrow competition through to the event.

There will also be a family disco on March 31 at St Stephen’s Social Club, where this year’s carnival queen will be selected. Application forms for girls aged 13-17 are now available from Banks Community Centre.

The parish council has put forward around £3,500 from the parish precept for the event, and the committee is now appealing to village businesses to come forward and donate their services to help bring costs down.

For more information, see the Facebook groups at http://on.fb.me/yXHyvH and http://on.fb.me/zcsBTp. To get involved in the event, email paulblane@hotmail.co.uk