Lions Club of Tavistock
Carnival Week

Carnival 24th September 2023

So the Carnival Count revealed £1440! A great effort in the circumstances!!  Thank you!!

We have been asked by one or two people how they could still donate. If anyone would like to, here are our bank details for a BACS transfer:  

Bank details:-  Lions Club of Tavistock  40-44-05  61102427


Thank you again for your support! The money we collect will go to local charities and good causes! 

‘The Sound of Musicals’

 Sunday September 24th at 4 pm

 

It was such a shame that we had to call off the scheduled procession in July but it would have been a very miserable affair if we had gone ahead!  It wouldn’t have been much better on subsequent Saturdays either!!  So hopefully a Sunday afternoon in September will be better!

The arrangements will be largely the same, timings brought forward because of the darker evenings.  

 Assembly:

• We have asked that the people entering the procession assemble in Down Road ready for the judging which will start at 2.45 pm. There is no need to be there massively early, we suggest you are all together at 2.30 pm.

• The procession will start at 3.40 pm from the top of Down Road so that the front of the procession enters Whitchurch Road at 4.00 pm.

Judging:

• This will take place in Down Road. The procedure is as follows: There will be five judges. They are responsible for choosing a 1st Place for each class, and together they will reach a consensus on which Entrant will receive the “Best in Procession” award.

• The judging will start at 2.45pm. Judges will travel from the top of Down Road in a mini bus along the procession and make an initial assessment, then they will drive back along the procession to confirm their judgement. They will then return to make the awards.

 Dispersal:

• The procession ends when it travels down Market Road behind the Pannier Market. 

• There are works taking place in Market Road so please take care to stop in a place where there is no obstruction and go as far along Market Road as far as you can before stopping.

 

Whether you win an award or not, we appreciate all the huge efforts that many, many, many people have made to make this a great Carnival Parade. That’s why we wanted to rearrange the Carnival and not cancel it!

 

CLASSES 

 

The winner of each category, and the overall “Best in Procession” awards will be presented in Down Road.  All entrants will receive a certificate in recognition of their commitment, enthusiasm and support, but for practical reasons this will be forwarded to them approximately a week or so after the Carnival. 

 

Specific prize money is not being awarded but the practice of giving each entrant a donation towards their organisation/charity is being retained.  Trade organisations are asked to nominate a local charity of their choice.

Traffic Arrangements required for Tavistock Carnival each year

The main closure is to Down Road which we close from 1400 to 1600 on Carnival Day. This is to allow the parade with its tractors and trailers, lorries and hundreds of walkers, to form up and to protect any stray children that might run into the road.

When the parade starts at 1600 we close Whitchurch Road between Down Road and Abbey Place, but open it again when the parade has cleared into Abbey Place (about 20 - 25 minutes). We then close off roads as the parade approaches and these will be Plymouth Road between Bedford Square and Canal Road, Russell Street and then West Street between the junction with Fore Street and Bedford Square. Finally we close Duke Street between Bedford Square and Vigo Bridge and Market Road where the parade disperses. Note that, although we have set times for the road closures we try to minimise inconvenience to motorists by not closing roads until the parade approaches and opening them once it has passed.

You may have also noticed the many no parking signs that we have put up around the route. We need this to allow the big tractors and trailers and lorries to negotiate the route safely and also to allow spectators to see the parade.

Lions’ Young Ambassadors

Here’s an exciting opportunity for you to be involved with the Lions in the Carnival and other events during the year!

We are looking for four young people in Year 6 to become Young Ambassadors for us!  We might be able to be flexible about the number if we get lots of great candidates!

What will you do?

You will be involved throughout Carnival Week especially on Fun Day and in the Carnival Procession but we want you to tell us what you would like to do.

 

You can see we want you to be fully involved as we know what great ideas and imagination young people have!  We hope you will find out a lot about what we do as Lions!

 

Who can be a Young Ambassador?

 

What do I have to do to apply?

All you have to do is ask a parent to email activities@tavistocklions.org.uk and give your name, your address, your school and your date of birth.

 

If we have lots of interest we may ask you to fill in a form.  Otherwise we will just ask you to come and have a chat with us to decide on our four Ambassadors – but don’t worry it will be very informal!

 

The deadline is Friday May 26th so that we can have our ambassadors in place by the beginning of June.

 

Remember this is your opportunity to make this role really exciting for the future.  We know that you will have a great time and learn so much from it.  So please have a think about it and ask a parent to put your name forward!


Our Carnival Theme for 2023 is 'The Sound of Musicals'

 

When is it?

Saturday July 15th

 

What is the theme?

The Carnival theme this year will be “The Sound of Musicals” and we would love you to join us to make this a very special event!!  Music is always a key element of the procession and especially this year!!   Please make it as lively and loud as possible.  

 

Why take part?

It’s a lot of fun!  The Carnival is an important part of the Tavistock Calendar.  It is a great opportunity to showcase your group or good cause and, if you have a business, great publicity!  In Bedford Square there will be a Fair and Miss Ivy Events will be hosting craft stalls, food and entertainment in the afternoon and early evening, so there is sure to be a great Carnival atmosphere with a lot of people to watch and enjoy the Parade!


Last year’s Carnival was the first after the Pandemic and the tradition of holding a fun, colourful and lively procession was certainly upheld! 

 

Are there prizes?

We don’t award prize money any more, but we will make a donation to all participants in recognition of their support. The amount depends on how much we are able to raise during Carnival Week.

Trade entries will be asked to nominate a local charity.

Trophies and certificates will be presented to the Class winners, and we intend to give all entries a certificate in recognition of their participation, and our appreciation of their efforts.   

 

What are the arrangements?

They will be pretty much the same as those of last year - by and large they worked well so we plan to stick with the same this year. 

 

The timings are all aimed at the procession entering Whitchurch Road at 6.30pm.  To achieve this all entrants must be assembled by 5pm, judging will start at 5.15pm and will be completed so  that the front of the procession can start to move from the top of Down Road at 6.10pm.  You need to be assembled for the start of judging, but not much earlier. 

Of course if you don’t want to be judged, you can take up your position later but by 5.45pm.

 

We intend to keep the categories the same this year, ie: 


What do we need to do to take part?

 

Email activities@tavistocklions.org.uk with as much of this information as you can:

Name of organisation:…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Class (as above):……………………………………………………………………………………….……………………..

Do you know which Musical you may be using?* …………………………………………………………..

Will your entry include a Musical Element?……..………………………………………………………

If using a vehicle, please advise the length^:………………………………………………………….

 

Contact name & address: ………………………………………………………………………………………

Email……………………………………………………….

Telephone…………………………

 

* We only would like to know this (in confidence!) to avoid too many of the same Musical!!

^ The route will not accommodate very large articulated vehicles but if you have any queries or concerns, please let us know.


Health and Safety?

I have attached our Health and Safety leaflet to answer any questions you may have in that respect.

 

Is there any help or support you can offer?

We very much appreciate your involvement and if you want any help or support or have any questions, please contact us at activities@tavistocklions.org.uk

 

What can we do to help?

Please take part and encourage as many people, clubs and organisations as possible to take part, by word of mouth, social media etc.  The more the merrier!

 

Is there anything else we can take part in in Carnival Week?

Lots of Charities and organisations like to have a gazebo at our Fun Day in the Meadows which is on Sunday. July 9th, 12-4.00pm in the Tavistock Meadows.


If you would like to be involved, please email as above – activities@tavistocklions.org.uk

 

Here’s hoping for a sunny evening on 15th July!

Traffic Arrangements required for Tavistock Carnival each year

The main closure is to Down Road which we close from 1630 to 1830 on Carnival Day. This is to allow the parade with its tractors and trailers, lorries and hundreds of walkers, to form up and to protect any stray children that might run into the road.

When the parade starts at 1830 we close Whitchurch Road between Down Road and Abbey Place, but open it again when the parade has cleared into Abbey Place (about 20 - 25 minutes). We then close off roads as the parade approaches and these will be Plymouth Road between Bedford Square and Canal Road, Russell Street and then West Street between the junction with Fore Street and Bedford Square. Finally we close Duke Street between Bedford Square and Vigo Bridge and Market Road where the parade disperses. Note that, although we have set times for the road closures we try to minimise inconvenience to motorists by not closing roads until the parade approaches and opening them once it has passed.

You may have also noticed the many no parking signs that we have put up around the route. We need this to allow the big tractors and trailers and lorries to negotiate the route safely and also to allow spectators to see the parade.

What a great Carnival Week we had last year!

Here are some photos of the Carnival Procession courtesy of Chris Holdsworth.
Take a look at some of the recent Carnival themes here