Looks like rain on our parade.

This week The Gazette leads with a rather alarming story that after eighty odd years we may have seen th last of Barnstaple's carnvival. Apparently, the carnival committee have a hole in their finances which amounts to the grand sum of £3,500 pounds. If this hole is not plugged then it could be farewell to the traditional farewell to meat parade. Even if the parade is able to go ahead then because of such dire financial constraints there aren't going to be any fireworks! A great shame as in recent years this has been my favourite bit. I must say though that £3,500 pounds is a lot of money to most people in Barnstaple myself included however it does not seem that much money in the great scheme of things. Conversely, in this area there an awful lot of people for whom this amount represents loose change i.e. second home owners, affluent pensioners, downsizers  and commuters; not to mention the cadre of local boosters who always like to see their name in the paper. Perhaps, they could be persuaded to part with some of their booty and cough up a few quid to support a local jamboree. I have to admit though that I do find the event rather naff and on occasions slightly distasteful since there was until recently a propensity for people to black up and floats often had a rather xenophobic politically naive theme.  I suppose though this is all part of it's charm and in a cultural and historical context this is the very nature of carnival as in the past it represented a form of licensed release, a subversion of the normal social mores of the day. I suppose this has been carried on in the form of a humourous take on the war in Iraq, a bunch of blokes dressed up as comic strip Arabs, blacked up seventies disco dancers and assorted bloated hairy blokes in stockings and suspenders. I also remember it being a little bit more anarchic than it is today with coins being thrown, jeering and buckets of water being chucked out of windows as the parade passed by. Plus, there wasn't a majorette in sight! I vividly remember one year seeing a dog driving a Ford Escort down Boutport Street which never ceased to amaze me right up until a few years ago when I was made aware of cars that had dual controls.
Also, it does seem to raise a lot of money for charity so if anyone should have a vested interest in preserving the event then it should be those local charities who benefit generously from it. The hospices, whose turn over must represent a significant proportion of local  GDP, could become a bit more proactive in its fundraising and put some cash up to save the day. As, not meaning to sound too harsh they do receive an awful lot of goodwill from local people and we are all proud of their achievements. It can't always be one way traffic in such instances. They would be bound to benefit financially especially if it meant maintaining a valuable source of income.
SAVE THE CARNIVAL!.......OH AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT SAVE THE HELICOPTERS AGAIN!
I hasten to add that the Journal made no mention of the above storyso perhaps the Gazette was stirring up a storm in a teacup as, even though I'm skint, £3,500 does seem to be a piffling amount of money.