Over
the next two years or so, I will be working with Chris Hoyle from
Oldham Cancer Support, to write and produce a book which will
record, for future generations as well as the present generation,
the great event called Oldham Carnival, its demise in the late
1990's and its rise from the ashes in 2006 as the new People's
Carnival.
It'll be full of facts about the Carnivals that have been part
of Oldham's life since the mid 30s. We'll seek to find the characters
of Oldham who worked so hard to put this event on every year -
the real characters of Oldham - and who dedicated a large slice
of their time to the cause of the community and the charities
that benefited. And we'll look at the great charities of the past
- what were their causes and how did they fair in later years?
We'll look at how the carnival
reflected the traditions of the times and how it was, essentially,
a working class event - run by working people and for working
people. And we'll look at the influence of the many diverse communities
over those years.
We'll look at the Dance Troupes, the celebrities, the tug-o-war
and all the fun of those years. And we'll find all the funny stories
as we interview those involved and find out why it was and is,
so much fun.
We'll explore the many different routes that
the
Caranival Parade has taken over the years and
discover the most unusual floats and entrants.
And finally we'll look at today's new carnival, its ambitions
and plans for the future.
You can get involved in this project yourself and write your little
peice of history. Whether you have photographs, stories or momentos,
you can contact us to discuss their inclusion and you can complete
the form below for the inclusion of your text etc. There is no
limit to the length of your peice and may be a poem, short story,
memory...anything.
In the spirit of Carnival the whole project
will be for charity and it will done voluntarily. All the money
from sales (after covering the printing costs) will be donated
to the local Oldham Cancer Support Centre. Their representative,
Chris Hoyle, will be helping to produce the book.
Carnival has always shown whats
good about Oldham and this book is about the good people of
Oldham and their efforts over the decades to create a sense
of community through the medium of the carnival.
Contribution to the History of Oldham Carnivals
Thank
you for contributing to the History of Oldham Carnivals
