Kidwelly carnival encapsulates community spirit

IT seems so long ago, the face masks, the isolation, the panic, the ceasing of community events but the people of Kidwelly and surrounding villages threw off the shackles of Government restrictions and threw an almighty community party by way of that good old fashioned carnival.

The usual venue of Parc Stephens was abandoned for the newer venue of Glan Yr Afon at the castle end of the town. It worked very well with a gated system, plenty of hard standing and a field with a view over the castle. The sun shone and the people came in droves.

Carnivals are usually a mirror of what is going on in the world with nods  to contemporary culture but there was no virtue signalling or woke references this was a good old fashioned bonkers mish-mash of everyone from Scooby Doo, Gnomeo and Juliet, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, pirates, scarecrows, dinosaurs, the circus, Toy Story, mime artists, ET, The Rose Queen, the Fairy Queen to  Prince Charming.

Civic dignitaries bedecked in gold made an appearance as themselves; Dame Nia Griffith MP, the Mayor of Llanelli Philip Warlow, the Mayor of Kidwelly Carl Peters-Bond, Chairman of Carmarthenshire County Council Rob Evans and an assortment of consorts, councillors, vicars and I thought I spotted a nun for good measure.

This was good old fashioned community spirit where for months organisers had planned and no doubt sweated behind the scenes ensuring everything was in place from the banner on the roundabout to the issuing of those obligatory fluorescent jackets.

There were plenty of stalls including local charities, food stalls, children’s entertainment, representatives of the army cadets, the fire service, the ambulance service and the Royal British Legion.

Businesses throughout the town opened their doors and no doubt did a roaring trade judging by the large numbers of people who appeared from nowhere on this blazingly hot Saturday afternoon. The town had already been yarn bombed with knitted flowers wrapped around street furniture. Hanging baskets were in full bloom and houses and shops looked as if Mr Sheen (not Michael) and the Shake and Vac lady had been in town all week.

The people of Kidwelly can be justifiably proud of putting on a wonderful event, which was much needed following a couple of years most would rather forget. It was easy to see the community spirit in every corner of the town. Don’t take our word for it. Watch the video of the carnival capers here.