St Annes Carnival called off

The procession through town at last year's St Annes Carnival

The colourful celebration traditionally entailing a Saurday morning procession through town followed by fun and games in Ashton Gardens was due to mark its centenary over the weekend of July 10, 11 and 12.

But oficials have decided to should not go ahead as uncertainity about future events continues in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

The centenary will now be celebrated next year and current Carnival Queen Georgia Roberts will reign for another year.

A spokesman for the Carnival’s organising committee said: “In light of the recent Government guidelines about COVID-19 and following discussions with St Annes Town Council and the mayor of Fylde regarding our Carnival in July, we have taken the decision to cancel our 2020 Carnival weekend.

“Our mission at St Annes Carnival has always been to provide a safe and fun weekend for all the family and, as it is impossible to predict what stage the virus will be at by July, we are not able to safely guarantee to do this so the decision had to be taken.

“Also, as a charity Carnival, it is important for us to minimise any further expenses.

“Our current Carnival Queen, Georgia Roberts, and her retinue will remain in post for the coming year and our queen-elect, Kelsey Cottam-Bamford, a 10-year-old pupil of mayfield School – and her retinue will be asked to take up the role in 2021.

“We are also pleased to announce that in the near future we will be donating the funds raised – £5,000 – to Marie Curie, our 2019-20 Carnival charity, so that they do not have to wait 12 months to access these funds.

“This was to have been a very special year for St Annes Carnival as we were to be celebrating our Centenary.

“While we were hoping to make it a weekend to remember, this was not what we had in mind.

“Rest assured that this additional time will give us the opportunity to make sure that we celebrate our 100th Carnival in style in 2021.

“We wish every one of you, and your loved ones, a safe and healthy outcome to this virus and hope you will join us on July 9, 10 and 11, 2021 to share in our celebrations.”