Carnival's future saved after volunteer 'crisis'

Organisers of a community carnival have said they are "delighted" after a successful appeal for volunteers saved the event from cancellation.

The future of Baildon Carnival was said to be at "crisis point" due to a shortage of people to help manage the growing event.

Deputy chair of the Baildon Carnival Committee Ann Foster said the group issued a callout last month after realising they may have to cancel the parade in 2026 or potentially the whole event if they were unable to recruit enough people.

She said: "The carnival gets bigger and better every year, which is brilliant but in a way it means we need more volunteers to sustain that growth."

Baildon Carnival dates back to at least the 1920s, though it is thought an annual Gypsy and Traveller community carnival was held on the Jenny Lane site as far back as 1770.

However the popularity of the event declined after the Second World War before being rebooted in 2014.

The modern carnival is held annually on the second Saturday of July.

Mrs Foster said following the appeal six new volunteers had come forward - the minimum number needed to hold the carnival.

"We are very delighted the drive to get more volunteers has been successful and we hope that it continues," she said.

"We would welcome any new volunteers to come forward because we still could do with more, just to make the burden on the committee that little bit easier."

She added: "A lot of volunteers are of an age where they might have a lot of spare time [but] we do need some new blood into the organisation so that people can help us with the more physically challenging roles."

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