Holsworthy Carnival – the last carnival of the season took place on Saturday 21st November on a very cold and occasionally rainy evening.

The visiting Carnival Royalty were judged by the Mayor, Portreeve, Town Crier, Pretty Maid and Freeman of the town of Holsworthy. Holsworthy Carnival’s Queen of Queens was awarded to the Okehampton Carnival Queen Evie Woods. This year’s overall Fairy Queen award went to Holly and Joshua Wale from Hatherleigh.

The idea to have Holsworthy’s oldest living Carnival Queen assisting the other judges was put on hold, for this year at least. It was felt that the long evening would be a bit too much – especially given coldness of the day.

As part of Carnival, Holsworthy & District Lions also took over the running of the annual Window Dressing/Spot the Deliberate Mistake Competition Four independent judges from Bude judged the displays and the winner was Andrea Furmage of Floral Designs. She was presented with the trophy by Club President Brian Withal. Highly Commended Certificates went to Up Market and The Card Kabin.

This year, Holsworthy & District Lions reintroduced an old tradition that was stopped in the 1970s by crowning the Holsworthy Carnival Queen and Fairy Queen on the balcony of the White Hart Hotel in the centre of town.

More than 20 floats took part in the Carnival and there were dozens of entrants on foot. The route around Holsworthy was packed with people watching, despite the miserable weather.

The best tableau award was presented to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” entered by the Dilling, Wonnacott, Squire, King and Bater families from Highampton. Special mention should also go to “Mechanical Circus” entered By Kay Stevens from Hatherleigh – a stunning fire-breathing float that was not judged in the official competition due to a broken generator.