Gran, 93, flies for first time in 30 years to see Philadelphia folk parade she fell in love with

Avril Davidge is 93 and had never been to America in her life, but after going down a YouTube rabbit hole and falling in love with a folk parade in Philadelphia, she boarded a plane for the first time in 30 years to see it for herself.

Avril, from Swansea, didn't even have a passport, but after the death of her husband Clifford in 2023 she found out about Philadelphia's Mummers Parade online and couldn't get enough of it.

With the help of her family, Avril's dream came true and she travelled 3,400 miles to watch the vibrant procession on New Year's Day.

With a Welsh flag fluttering above her wheelchair, Avril "fell in love" with Philadelphia and its people, receiving the warmest of welcomes.

She became known as the "Welsh grandma" and even made the front page of a local newspaper.

"I was like royalty I was, I couldn't believe it - wonderful, wonderful," she said.

"I thought 'this is a dream, this isn't happening to me'."

Despite dating back more than 120 years, the Mummers Parade is a tradition many Americans would be forgiven for not knowing.

But Avril's granddaughter Fiona said Avril would watch the folk parade online from breakfast to dinner and often say things such as "when we go to Philadelphia" or "when I see my Mummers" as a running joke.

Founded in 1901, it is Philadelphia's annual New Year's Day celebration that sees 10,000 adults and children dressed in colourful costumes parade down one of the city's main streets.

What started as groups of neighbours aiming to cheer up the sick or those unable to leave their home is now likened to the New Orleans' Mardi Gras parade, "but much bigger" - at least according to Visit Philadelphia.

Mummers are split into five different divisions, with each performance playing a special role as they strut along Broad Street for 10 hours.

Avril first started watching the Mummers two years ago, just a few weeks after Clifford - her husband of 70 years - died.

Fiona regularly visits Avril in her assisted accommodation and set YouTube on her television to autoplay.

The algorithm suggested a video of the parade - something the family believe was fate.

"When I saw it I was really in love with it, that's the only words I can think of," said Avril.

"Clifford would have loved Mummers. It was his type of songs, he knew all the words to the old songs."

Avril, who shared a love of marching bands with Clifford, said Mummers was "a great help after losing my husband, more than any doctor or medicine".

"I would put it on at breakfast and it would make me smile. I was saying all the time 'I would love to see it, I would love to see it' but never in a million years thought I would."

Without her knowing, Avril's family began plotting behind the scenes to make her dream a reality.

When her daughter, Kay, came one day and said Avril needed to have her photo taken, Avril was having none of it.

"I said 'no I'm not, I hate having my photo taken' and I made quite a fuss about it."

Then came the big reveal.

"She said 'if you want to go to America, you have got to have a passport. To have a passport, you have to have your photo taken'.

"I said 'what, we're going to America?' and she said 'yes and we've got to do it now'."

After organising the trip, Fiona began documenting their journey on social media.

Avril became known as "Grandma Mumm" online and "all the captains of the different bands were told I was there and they wanted to see me," she said.

"My favourite captain even kissed me on the hand, but I had my gloves on," she chuckled.

"So I said to him 'I'm going to wear this glove forever'."

When they found a spot to watch the parade, one of the officials even moved them to the judges' stand to give her a better view.

It was freezing cold in Philadelphia so Avril's family piled blankets on her and gathered hot water bottles to keep her warm, "but I wouldn't move, not for the world, not until it finished".

Organisers pulled out all the stops to make her trip special, said Fiona.

Avril was greeted with a VIP tour of the Mummers Museum and her favourite string band captain Jimmy Good showed up to surprise her.

She was gifted a custom-made golden umbrella and learned how to do the Mummers strut with him.

James "Jim" Donio, a retired Mummer who hosts the television stream of the parade, was instrumental in helping make the trip special for Avril, Fiona said, and he kept in regular contact.

"They were wonderful, the presents they gave, but not only that... they took time to speak to me," said Avril.

"To think they took time to speak to me, a grandma from Wales. I thought 'why are they making a fuss of me'."

Avril said her highlight was meeting Jimmy Good and the "icing on the cake" was seeing the string bands decked out in the "most fantastic clothes".

"They have ostrich feathers, spend thousands and thousands of dollars on them and raise funds all year for them. To actually see them in the flesh - fantastic.

"When the Mummers are getting ready for the parade... they are stood there with old shoes on and people are going around spraying their shoes," Avril explained.

"So my lovely granddaughter, Fiona, sprayed my shoes for me to go. So I wore them as well, to be a part of it all."