September 2011
Sunshine and smiles at Swanmore!
Saturday 9 July saw another great day for Swanmore and Carnival and Fete, with hundreds of local residents turning out for an afternoon of fun and relaxation. A shower freshened up the carnival parade en-route, before everyone arrived at the New Road recreation ground swathed in sunshine. The mayor of Winchester Cllr Barry Lipscomb kindly judged the parade entrants, awarding prizes for Swanmore Primary School as best parade float and 1st Swanmore Cubs and Beavers as best walking group.
During the afternoon the crowds were treated to a wonderful flying display from Fallowfields Falconry including an enchanting hands-on flying experience for children with "Flannel" the barn owl. Jim Bernadine's steel-pan workshop then transformed half-a-dozen young volunteers into able musicians in only half an hour, so that they were later able to put on a virtuoso performance in the main arena for proud parents and onlookers.
As in previous years, we were delighted to have fantastic support from classic car and motorbike owners who turned out in large numbers to show off their splendid machines. Val Watts and Julie Ward won best car in show with their magnificently presented 1964 Rover 110 P4. Classic bike winners were:
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Best Pre-1960 Bike - Shaun Jackson with the Jackson Indomitable
Best 1960's Bike - Arthur Emery with the GPO BSA Bantam 125 (pictured left)
Best Post 1970 Bike - Fred Outen with the Triumph Bonneville
Best Classic Japanese Bike - Keith Jennings with the Suzuki T12
The Landlord's Choice - Colin Gordon's BSA Spitfire Special.
During the course of the day The Meon Valley Lions club also received a cheque presentation for £1,000 from Janene Scurfield, General Manager of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, southern region. Janene is a resident of Swanmore and has been so impressed by the good local work done by the Meon Valley Lions that she successfully applied for this award through the company's Enterprise Foundation, which is established to invest corporate funds into local community projects and charities as part of its corporate responsibility programme.
If you'd like the chance to relive the fun of the day, there are two ways. First, our official Swanmore photographer Brian Pancott has set up a dedicated Carnival and Fete section on his website, where you can view the many photos he took. Just visit www.brianpancott.com and click on the 'gallery' tab where you will find Swanmore Carnival and Fete 2011 on the second row. Click on the Swanmore Carnival and Fete album and enter the password 'village2011' (no spaces and case-sensitive). Photos can be ordered online for a small charge with 50 pence from each print going to the Meon Valley Lions Club charities.
There is also a video of the carnival and fete taken by two young, aspiring film makers called Billy Jameson and James Boyd of Hedge End. You can view their work on You Tube by searching the site for Swanmore carnival and fete 2011. A longer eight-minute version of the film will be given a special showing between 10-11am on Saturday 10 September at St. Barnabas, Swanmore. There will be four separate showings, run at quarter-hour intervals - all are welcome. Just turn up at a time to suit you.
Thanks to The Meon Valley Lions Club, Swanmore Parish Council and all the local groups and volunteers who worked hard to make the whole thing possible.
Picture: While the family look on, Ray Brinklow receives "highly commended" from Lion Roy Cuthbertson, for his 1964 type 2 Camper Van.
(Permission has been given by Ray to use the picture including the children.)
