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Free community parade and festival for Mansfield

Posted onPosted on 8th Jan
Free community parade and festival for Mansfield

The first Mayor’s Community Parade in Mansfield has moved a step closer.

The free event, being organised by Mansfield Sister Cities Association and Mansfield Rotary Club, will be held next to the Civic Centre on Sunday, 10th June.

Following the parade, which it is hoped will feature many local groups and organisations, there will be a festival with entertainment from bands, fairground rides for young children and charity stalls.

The event was inspired by a Sister Cities Association visit to Mansfield Pennsylvania in September 2016 — the fourth official exchange visit following an inaugural meeting of Mansfields from around the world that took place in Mansfield, UK, in 2000.

The mayor of Mansfield,, Kate Allsop, who was on the trip to Pennsylvania, was invited to lead a community parade there and said a similar event in the UK would be a great event.

She said: “I want to see a parade like the old Mansfield Carnival that ceased in the early 80s with representatives from Girl Guides, Rainbows, Brownies, Scouts, Beavers, Cubs, cadets, heritage groups, Neighbourhood Watch, youth groups, WI, local sports clubs, perhaps Mansfield Town FC, colliery bands/marching bands, classic car, vintage vehicle and bike groups as well as the emergency services like the police, fire service, ambulance and air ambulance, plus the Royal British Legion, Armed Forces and local churches.”

Stewart Rickersey, chairman of the Sister Cities Association, said: “The parade will be open to community and charitable groups across Mansfield and district and there will be no charge to those groups taking part.

“The logistics of the parade, however, mean that numbers will be limited, so early booking will be necessary.”

Direct invitations will be made to all the community groups that expressed an interest when the project was first announced last June.

Nicky Tomlinson-Murphy, president of Mansfield Rotary Club, was not in Mansfield Pennsylvania last September but said she was inspired by the enthusiasm of her members who made the trip.

“The Rotary motto is Service Above Self and all our members play a role in supporting our local community in a variety of ways, whether through fundraising on the Christmas Sleigh or support to local groups,” she said.

“This community parade fits perfectly into our objectives of helping others and we are delighted to be a co-organiser of this event with the Sister Cities Association.”

Details of the event are still being developed but a local event management company has been appointed by the organising team and the grounds adjacent to the Civic Centre and associated car park have been booked with Mansfield District Council.

The parade route has been provisionally identified but will be subject to discussions with highways authority and the police.

The parade is expected to start at 11am and finish around 12.30pm ahead of the afternoon of entertainment.

A feature that is being borrowed from Mansfield Pennsylvania will be the handing out of free sweets to young children lining the parade route.

Community groups who want to book their place in the parade and have a stall at the festival following the parade can book at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mayors-community-parade-tickets-41642926113

Further information can be obtained from the organising team by e-mailing [email protected] or calling him on 01623 404215.

More details will be announced in the next few weeks.