SunSkips helps keep tradition alive at Stowmarket Carnival

Stowmarket Carnival was so successful this year that organisers had to book an additional last-minute skip to help manage all the waste generated by the event.

SunSkips donated the first skip after the Stowmarket skip hire company was approached to help because of how important the event is to the local community.

But organisers ended up using the additional sponsorship money SunSkips contributed to book another container when it became apparent that one simply wasn’t enough.

Kate Hastie, Stowmarket Carnival treasurer, was delighted with the response to the July event and couldn’t believe the turnout at the local recreation ground (and the waste that came along with it).

She said, “We were so busy over the weekend that we had to call in reinforcements!

“All our ‘old hands’ were remarking that they couldn’t remember when the Rec had been so busy. The Café on the Rec told us that on the Saturday they did twice the business of their previous best day!”

Stowmarket Carnival has been a tradition in the Suffolk town in various forms for a long time.

Traditionally, the carnival procession sweeps people along to the recreation ground, where there’s a funfair, beer tent, games for kids, charity stalls, and marching bands.

Photo credit: ©Wandering River

But last year, the event ended up becoming part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, so didn’t stand apart as an event in its own right. And in the years previous, the carnival was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Kate, who worked as a business consultant before her recent retirement, was determined to help the committee revive the carnival after witnessing an “act of inspirational leadership.”

She said, “I was at a coffee morning and Simon Burton (carnival chair) was talking passionately about what Stowmarket Carnival meant to the locals and the children. It was really inspiring!”

Photo credit: ©Wandering River

Fearing the years-long gap since the last big event could impact footfall in 2023, Kate and the committee went above and beyond to get the word out, handing out programs and roping in local businesses to chip in.

She said, “It would have been very easy for Stowmarket Carnival to fall off the edge. We did a lot of work getting a program together, which we wouldn’t have been able to do if local businesses like SunSkips hadn’t sponsored it.

“But when we saw people lining the streets and children turning out to donate their pennies to the buckets, we couldn’t believe it!

“There was £630 collected all in all – double what I was expecting! People were running up wanting to donate to keep the carnival going. The place was packed! People said they’d run stalls before but never seen so much business.

“By the end of it, we all collapsed in a heap!”

Photo credit: ©Wandering River

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But with a large number of attendees comes the inevitable waste, something the organisers were very keen to stay on top of.

Kate said, “I think it’s important to blow the trumpets of the people that collect waste. We have a guy, Steve, who turned up, put on a high-vis jacket and went round litter picking the whole time.

“People often say, ‘I’ll take a plastic bag home with me,’ but that’s how flytipping tends to happen and we didn’t want to leave a mess. It was important to us that we find a waste management solution that was both licensed and reputable.”

Photo credit: ©Wandering River

Kate is appealing to locals to get involved in next year’s Stowmarket Carnival to help keep the festivities alive and bring the community together.

She added, “We’ve realised we need a few more people to help out on the day. Sometimes we underestimate the work involved. We’d love to have some more strategically minded people on the committee, or even to sit on the front desk at the bingo fundraiser – it all helps!”

SunSkips is proud to support local community causes and would encourage others to get involved in Stowmarket Carnival to make sure it continues for years to come.  Get in touch via the Stowmarket Carnival website, or Facebook page to help make next year’s event happen.

Feature image by: Parnell Photo