NEYLAND put on a spectacular carnival on Saturday (Jul 9) as the town celebrated 100 years since the inception of the event.
Crowds lined the streets as a number of floats paraded through the town before reaching the Athletic playing fields.
Floats ranged from Toy Story and Disney themes to Las Vegas and pirates while the procession was led by members of the Pembrokeshire Mini Club.
The covid-19 pandemic had put pay to the last three carnivals but it was clear to see that its absence had been missed.
After the parade, hundreds gathered on the field to continue the celebrations. Bouncy castles and other rides were on offer as well as food and drink.
Neyland Town Councillor Peter Davies paid tribute to the Neyland Carnival Committee, who had organised the event, and described it as ‘the best carnival we’ve ever had’.
Riga Avenue, Brunel Avenue and Church Lakes were judged to be the best streets while the Rose and Willow, The Legionnaire and High Street and Charles Street were the top four floats.
A spokesperson for Neyland Town Council said: “We gave the Carnival Committee £1000 this year to help them after 2 years of not being able to put on a carnival due to covid lockdown. It was also because it was the 100th anniversary and the Town Council wanted to ensure that the Town would see that life is returning to pre-pandemic normality.
“In true Neyland fashion, the townspeople rose to the occasion and put on a procession to mark the 100th anniversary. It’s not everyday that you see a wide variety of floats and walking acts that included Batman and Robin and Donald Trump on one of the floats if you looked carefully.
“The sun shone on Neyland and surely most of the town were either in the procession or watching on the pavements, cheering them on. It was good to see so many happy faces after the lockdowns. The procession ended at the Community Hub and everyone was able to sit outside and drink, chat and enjoy the hot, sunny weather.
“The Carnival Committee under the chairmanship of Malcolm Hawkins deserves a vote of thanks for making this a spectacular 100th anniversary Carnival and to ensure that it returns once again in 2023.”
