There were smiles galore on Saturday at Yeadon Carnival, which this year had the them of 'Happiness'.
Despite the weather people came in force to join in the parade and enjoy the festivities. Thanks to support from Leeds Bradford Airport, carnival sponsors Morrish Solicitors and Manning Stainton Estate agents, and local councillors, the parade element of the carnival was able to return.
With the theme of Happiness the carnival put a focus on promoting positive mental health and were joined by Healthwatch in Leeds who offered people advise and support on the day. Thanks to funding from entertainment sponsors Leeds Bradford Airport, 300 'little bags of happiness' were given out to carnival goers, including treats, goodies and tips on positive mental health.
The Carnival King and Queen were Lyuben Durchev and Penelope Hayes, from Rufford Park School. They were crowned by members of AVSED, a local charity working to prevent social isolation and loneliness for Aireborough seniors by supporting happy, healthy and independent living. The team were keen to try include all the community, so invited members of AVSED to join in the celebrations and make sure it catered for all generations.
The carnival saw nine-year old Ewan Law give out his 100th bunch of flowers to a very special recipient. Ewan has been using his pocket money all year to buy flowers and give them away as random acts of kindness to make people happy. His kindness was rewarded when he was appointed as a Happiness Champion of this year's Yeadon Carnival. He gave his 100th bunch of flowers to local volunteer Dawn Wellman, who has volunteered in the Yeadon Community for over 20 years.
Ewan said: "I am really happy to have helped to make 100 people smile. There are a lot of people who are sad and not happy, so I want to show them there are nice things in the world. It makes me feel good to watch people find the flowers and I love to see them smile! I've had such a great time helping today!"
Jo Kenyon, 35, carnival co-chair said: "'Ewan is such a fantastic young member of the community and he's really gone above and beyond to spread happiness in the local area! Our fantastic entertainment sponsors, Leeds Bradford Airport are giving Ewan a special VIP airport tour as a thank you for all his hard work, and we arranged for him to ride on the back of a trike during the parade which he loved.
"As our entertainment sponsors Leeds Bradford Airport helped us put on some fantastic live music and entertainment, including a headline set from The Lulas who are supporting Scouting for Girls on their tour later this year, so it's been a real honour to have them join us. The Celtic Cowboys were a real crowd pleaser with their Irish music, and we had brilliant live performances from the hugely talented Redshakes and local singer songwriter, Terri Shaltiel.
"There were also dance performances from Centre Stage academy and Peace Dance Academy, as well as magicians from Bradford Magic Circle, circus performers from Codswallop Theatre, fun fair rides, bouncy castle, trike rides, a classic car show, kids party games, and lots of stalls for people to visit too, including a mobile petting farm with sheep and rabbits. My personal highlight was the 'Carnival Drag Queen game' where three teams of children got to dress up three male members of the audience as Drag queens and the crowd chose the winner - the audience was in hysterics and there were smiles all round."
A dog show took place, arranged by Yeadon's very own 'Fairy Dogmother' Kerry Ward and Jakes Pet Supplies. The best in show crown went to Betsy, a three year old Cocker Spaniel who was born without eyes but was incredibly friendly and stole the judges hearts.
Paul Wilkinson Carnival Co-Chair added: "It's been such a great day, we've seen lots of happy faces which makes all the hard work worthwhile. We would like to thank all our sponsors, volunteers, stall holders, entertainment acts, supporters, Yeadon Cricket Club and the White Swan, and every single business who donated a prize for this years raffle - it's clear that community spirit is shining here in Yeadon and it's been great to have so much support. Above all we would like to thank everyone who came along and joined in the celebrations."
Next year the team want to make the event bigger and better than ever, and are currently looking for new team members to join in and help arrange the 2024 carnival. If you are interested contact yeadoncarnivalcommittee@gmail.com.
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