THE theme of “LedFest” has been chosen, the programme is almost ready for the printers, and now the countdown is on for this year’s Ledbury Carnival, on August Bank Holiday Monday.

As always, it will be the single biggest one day event during Ledbury’s calendar year, bringing huge crowds of fun seekers to the town centre.

Carnival Committee chairman, Hilary Jones, is hoping for a good showing in the procession, because LedFest will be a celebration of festivals in general, from Glastonbury to religious festivals, and everything in-between.

She added: “We’ve had several enquiries already for the procession, including from the Friends of the Children’s Centre and from Rotary.”

Forms to enter the procession will be available in the programme, and also online on the Carnival’s website, by the first weekend in August.

Programmes will be available from many local shops and also from the Homend Garage.

Fundraising raffle tickets will also go on sale in early August.

Ledbury Carnival often attracts up to 10,000 people, or more, to the town centre, and each Carnival costs in the region of £10,000 to stage.

Further funding comes from bucket collections on the day, carried out by Carnival supporters in colourful costumes.

The weeks leading up to the LedFest Carnival, the 44th to take place in the town, since its revival in the 1970s, will see a shop window competition, to help promote the Ledfest theme.

All entertainment at the carnival, as ever, will be free, and attractions will include a samba band and, by popular request,the local rock band Frontrunner, on the big stage in the town centre.

Mrs Jones said: “I urge people to come along and enjoy a good day out, by themselves, with friends or with their family.

“We are hoping for good weather, but of course we don’t want it to be too warm!”

However, the committee does not want the day to been too wet either. A few Ledbury Carnivals have been affected by bad late summer weather over the years, although the crowds still come out to show support.

The time is fast approaching, however, when Ledbury Carnival will be in need of more supporters, including committee members.

Mrs Jones herself, who has been the Carnival Committee Chairman for four years, plans to stand down in the autumn, having originally agreed to serve for one year only.

Mrs Jones, who plans to still volunteer as a carnival helper, said: “We never have enough helpers, and several member of the committee will be retiring this year, at the AGM in November.

“And so we will be looking for new members to put themselves forward.”

Further details about Ledbury Carnival at:

http://www.ledburycarnival.co.uk/