Sway Carnival

From the archive, first published Monday 11th Jul 2005.

THE CIRCUS came to town as Sway carnival week reached its climax with a cavalcade of clowns and other colourful characters.

It seemed the whole village had turned out either to take part or watch the procession with families, friends and organisations from pre-school tots to the Women's Institute playing their part on Friday night.

Their saucy skit on the Big Top theme earned the WI top prize in the adult section of the fancy dress contest and loads of laughs from the cheering spectators who lined Station Road to see the parade.

Pride of place in the procession went to carnival prince and princess Adam Lambton and Olivia Bull, both aged 11 and pupils at the village primary school, who rode in a horse-drawn carriage.

There were other horse and hound entries from Patrick and Suzanne Kempe's clippety clop circus and the "performing dogs" of junior fancy dress winners Hannah Rowsell, three, and two-year-old George Haynes.

The New Milton-based New Forest Gateway Club for special needs adults provided the most exotic animals with penguins and a gorilla in its entertaining entourage, which also included a comic policeman and clowns.

The circus theme gave Sway Brownies the chance to show off their plate-spinning and juggling skills but it was the Wild West show of Liz Heasman and Helen Jenner with their children Caitlin, Harry and Charlotte, which took the small group fancy dress prize.

Carnival chairman Pam Wade said: "The carnival has been a huge success due to the participation of the whole village and the hard work of the committee."

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