Reply to THIS thread
Start a NEW Talkback Thread
Talkback Home

Great carnival - Resident (27th Oct 2019 - 14:39:22) Thank all of you carnival float builders for a fantastic turnout you deserve a medal .Also thanks to our wonderful carnival committee you are doing a fantastic job here’s to next year .

Re: Great carnival - M (28th Oct 2019 - 09:31:46) Yes I second that Great evening thank you so much .

Re: Great carnival - Gr (28th Oct 2019 - 10:30:15) Well done to all who braved the weather Looking forward to next year

Re: Great carnival - Gill Snedden (28th Oct 2019 - 11:05:35) Wonderful evening Well done everyone

Re: Great carnival - Elizabeth (28th Oct 2019 - 11:22:08) Thank you so much for your hard work. Thanks too for all the work in Radford Park. Made a good job of covering up the bonfire again this year.

Re: Great carnival - Claire (30th Oct 2019 - 20:26:54) Great evening, despite the rain it was a winner! I’m not a firework fan but have to say I think this years were the best ever. Gratitude to all who organise it and a special shout out to the young lad who was litter picking the next morning with his mum on London rd.

Re: Great carnival - Nostalgia man (31st Oct 2019 - 11:29:40) Thanks to the organisation committee for putting on such a great event once again, considering the conditions were terrible. Also well done to all the participants who built floats etc again not easy with such awful weather.

Re: Great carnival - Elizabeth (31st Oct 2019 - 12:03:47) Great thanks. Maybe we should have a road competition next year - get neighbours together to produce something - build community spirit and get more people involved. See which road can come up with the best entry - even if it's a walking entry or pushing one. Food for thought.

Re: Great carnival - Resident (31st Oct 2019 - 14:08:51) Yes in the past when the carnival was much bigger all the estates and many roads put floats in .It would be fantastic to get everyone involved there is no reason not to it brings the community together. There is no problem with closing the roads as was shown on Saturday .I believe 5 ambulances were allowed though on emergency also all emergency personnel can access the village at all times ie doctors nurses carers etc I believe they have a phone number to ring. So no problem to close the roads for longer.

Re: Great carnival - D (31st Oct 2019 - 18:29:07) Surely if five ambulances answering emergency calls were impeded then this is a PROBLEM? How can Resident possibly say it wasn't? Now he's probably phoning his cronies to verbally abuse me. Ooh-er!

Re: Great carnival - D (1st Nov 2019 - 07:57:34) Thankyou for informing me of this phone number, Resident. I will make sure my Macmillan nurse is aware of it, though by what you say she obviously has it already. Shame the Carnival Committee didn't give this information for those whom may need it.

Re: Great carnival - Resident (1st Nov 2019 - 10:18:14) Yes D I agree the information should be in the public domain.I was replying to Elizabeth’s post to inform her about the carnival in the past. The information about the emergency procedures was only here say so I would suggest you contact the carnival committee to get the facts . I was wrong it was only 2 ambulances on normal call out nothing to do with the carnival and they were not impeded. I see you need Macmillian Nurses I also have had to call on their services magnificent organisation. The hole point of the carnival is to raise money for local charities ie Day Centre Community Laundry etc ect.Iast point I do not have Cronies but I do have some lovely friends who do some magnificent work volunteering within the community and we all love Liphook and the carnival.So please D have some respect for people who have different opinions to you.

Re: Great carnival - D (1st Nov 2019 - 11:52:52) Resident, I agree with everything you say. Given the robust nature of some of the comments thrown at me by several people I don't feel my responses were unreasonable. Interesting how those who threw the worst are now hiding behind their keyboards. Once again thanks for the info. Best wishes.

Re: Great carnival - Resident (1st Nov 2019 - 12:28:27) Thanks D accepted.

Re: Great carnival - Sally Cameron (3rd Nov 2019 - 16:04:01) Dear all, firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to all who took part in the Carnival this year and those that turned out in the rain to support the evening's entertainment. The floats were amazing and clearly a lot of hard work had gone into their production. The road marshalls did a superb job managing the road closures and dealing with the Ambulance and Fire call outs. I would like to clarify the committee's position on emergency vehicles, as I am aware there are a number of differing comments. The road closures are in place throughout Liphook to enable the Carnival procession to travel safely though our village. We keep the road closures in place for three hours, from 6pm until 9pm. Longmoor road and London road slightly longer due to floats arriving from 3pm onwards and a huge amount of pedestrians leaving the bonfire and fireworks display. All of our marshalls, some ex Police attend a safety briefing prior to the Carnival where we discuss "Actions On" in the event of an emergency. Our priorities are to assist the emergency vehicle and make sure it reaches or departs it destination quickly and safely. We have to ensure the safety of pedestrians, which is paramount during this operation. We had a total of 5 ambulances arriving/departing and 2 Fire emergencies, and I am very pleased to report the committee and road marshalls did an excellent job in facilitating this. All the road marshalls and myself have radios to communicate. This allows the team to enable drivers wishing to exit or arrive home before the procession has started and those stopping to ask advice on locations and timings. I personally call the local care businesses to make sure they have my contact number in case they come across any difficulties on the Carnival night and also allowing for prior planning. This year I have been hugely impressed by how effectively the marshalls and the committee, all volunteers have effectively dealt with what turned out to be a very busy evening dealing with emergency call outs. We also have three committee members on push bikes to ensure the procession runs smoothly, escort any carers and manage any lost children. The reason why we are one of the few villages to still have a Carnival, apart from tradition dating back over 100 years, is to offer our local businesses, groups, schools, charities and anyone else the opportunity to entertain the families of not just Liphook, but the surrounding towns and villages a truly amazing evening and to raise much needed funds for local groups and organisations who require financial support. The evening is free for all to attend, but those that can donate know they are involved in making a real difference to their community. We host an AGM in February, all are welcome to attend and we allocate 100% of the money donated on the evening. We carry out a number of activities throughout the year to raise funds for the running costs of the Carnival. We host a litter pick the following morning to make sure Liphook is looking great and really appreciate the positive comments and thanks received as we are doing so. We are always looking for volunteers to either join the committee or become a friend of the Carnival. Any persons interested or indeed feel they have any questions or concerns about the Carnival please contact me on 07717 313440 Thank you, Sally Cameron, Chairperson, Liphook Carnival Committee.

Re: Great carnival - Paul (3rd Nov 2019 - 20:14:21) Hi, I'm not going to knock the carnival, but I have a genuine question please? Is there a reason why it takes place in late October when the weather is more likely to be wet, windy and cold? Has there ever been a view on moving it to e.g. spring or another time of year when perhaps the weather is better (and the evening's are brighter)? Thanks in advance for any information.

Re: Great carnival - D (4th Nov 2019 - 08:09:05) None of this helps people being cared for by working relatives who live outside Liphook. Take a sick elderly person living on Haslemere Road being cared for by a relative who lives in Bordon for example. Instead of going straight through Liphook the relative has to go through Bramshott, along Hewshott Lane to Hammer, then into Liphook. Hardly a short distance as one contributor suggested. The relative has to do this journey at this time of day because he works every Saturday. The only solution to this would be to waste a day of his annual leave. However, given how most of the responses I have had to this issue have been aggressive; sarcastic; rude and defamatory, this forum is not the place to have a sensible, civilized discussion like this. This is certainly not the Liphook I grew up in. This website has left me with the impression that Liphook could not care less about inconveniencing the sick and elderly. Don't worry, your turn will come.

Re: Great carnival - Sally Cameron (4th Nov 2019 - 08:49:36) Hi Paul, a fair question and one I am asked on a regular basis. In many ways it would make complete sense to move our Carnival to a warmer month. Of course no guarantee it will not rain, but would be warmer particularly for children. However, tradition has always dictated we host on the night the clocks go back! Many people feel very strongly that the darker evening is far more atmospheric and leads itself to a more authentic Carnival. I think we would have to hold a public consultation in Liphook before we could make any major changes. Of course we could run the risk of another Brexit type outcome where we split the village? Interested to know peoples thoughts? Thank you, Sally Cameron, Chairperson Liphook Carnival Committee.

Re: Great carnival - Rachael (4th Nov 2019 - 10:37:40) I actually think a public consultation/vote on the carnival would be a good idea. The dynamics of the village has changed enormously over the last few years and I suspect that a significant percentage of the population do not share the sense of tradition or history about the carnival and would be quite comfortable with some changes including whether the village really benefits from this event anymore. Certainly as well organised as it is and despite all the goodwill and dedication of some, the Carnival is now a pale imitation of the splendid event it once was and maybe there is consensus (although probably not on Talkback) that the time is now right for significant change and we should look forwards not backwards. Ps. For the record I want to keep the carnival just as it is!

Re: Great carnival - Paul (4th Nov 2019 - 13:35:45) Thanks Sally, I appreciate the response - and completely understand regarding the link with the clocks going back. Part of the reason for asking is that a year ago I missed a meeting (completely unconnected with Liphook!) and later found I'd been 'volunteered' to run an event for 1,000 people involving road closures and council involvement etc. The event always takes place in October, and the first thing I did was move it to summer. No guarantee with the weather of course, but I got lucky and we had a sunny, warm day and huge numbers. This year I wasn't involved, and someone moved it back to October. Sadly it rained and was cold and windy, so the numbers (and revenue) were down. I don't wish to start a massive debate and agree with others that TB not always the best place for it, hence why I was wondering if e.g. a spring or summer date would work positively for the carnival. I'm certain others have more experience at this type of thing, clearly I got (very!) lucky with my other event!

Re: Great carnival - Local Resident (4th Nov 2019 - 14:35:59) I think the Carnival was nothing short of amazing. Please, please don't listen the nay sayers - marvel at the extraordinary turnout. even though the weather was not great. People can leave their sofas on a Saturday night, which has to be a good thing. Thanks to all the organisers...! (the food was better this year, I think? I liked the offer in the square, which included local businesses)

Re: Great carnival - J (5th Nov 2019 - 08:14:44) I couldn't make it this year but my family did and enjoyed it. It would be a shame for it to end. In terms of the fireworks it makes sense to be when it is. My only suggestion/request/idea would be to perhaps roll the roadblocks up along the Portsmouth Road, Station Road and then to the Canada Way roundabout on Midhurst Road behind the procession. This way it does pretty much allow access to almost the entire village (albeit with a few lengthy detours, which I think is fine for one night) when there are very few people on the streets. I totally agree with keeping the rest of Midhurst Road to the Square and London Road closed for longer due to people making their way between the fair and fireworks.

Reply to THIS thread
Talkback Home