By Anna Burdett

Last updated at 16:25, Friday, 01 July 2011

Three thousand people lined the streets for Wigton Carnival and the day passed without a single arrest.

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Hundreds of people took part in the parade through the town after weeks and months of preparation.

Carnival secretary Rebecca Steele said: “I’ve been involved for 10 years and I think it’s a great event that brings the young and old folk together. The effort that people put into the floats this year was brilliant.”

This year’s carnival Queen was 17-year-old Ashley Smith, from Wigton, who spent six months transforming her float into a Las Vegas casino with friend Katie Small.

The teenagers chose outfits to match their surroundings, breaking with traditional pink and taffeta gowns normally worn by the Queen.

Parents and children from Low Moor Pre-School donned night dresses for the Ten in the Bed float while 15-year-old Chloe Leeson and her friends from Wigton paid homage to Lady Gaga by recreating some of her famous outfits on a float made by dad David.

A 30-strong group of friends dressed as rescued Chilean miners and there was even a Royal Wedding re-enactment featuring Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie (George Johnston and Stephen Ward from Wigton) in their controversial hats.

The best big float chosen by the judges was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Hundreds of hours of work was put into the display by a group of friends who carefully stuck coloured plastic film and screwed up balls of tissue paper on to the float.

Around 20 people and their children dressed as Umpa Lumpas. Elaine Studholme said the youngsters were thrilled when they saw the float for the first time on carnival day.

Walkers in this year’s parade included youngsters from Abbeytown FC junior team who showed off the skills that have won them 28 out of their last 30 matches. Aged seven and eight years old, they shot into goal again and again to entertain the thousands gathered along the route.

Eight-year-old Carl Lightfoot said: “We pass the ball, that’s our secret.”

Derek Yarrow from Wigton dressed as Stig from the BBC’s Top Gear show and drove a quad bike through the town. While Richard Wilson and his mates rescued a Reliant Robin from the scrapyard, painted it yellow, took out the engine and wrote Trotter’s Independent Trading Company down the side. They dressed as characters from the Only Fools and Horses television show and pushed the car through the streets.

First published at 14:08, Friday, 01 July 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk