Villagers take to street for festival

JON MACPHERSON

CHILDREN and community groups proudly marched through the streets of

Rishton for the annual festival.

They donned wonderful art creations, inspired by Piet Mondrian, the Mona Lisa and giant sunflowers, for the procession from Rishton Station to Hyndvillage’s burn Academy. Participants included Rotarians and Soroptimists, Rainbows, Beavers and Scouts, Churches Together In Rishton, Toppers Day Nursery, Rockmount NW and St Peter and St Paul’s Junior Church. The march was started by Town Crier Rawden Kerr and led by Hyndburn Mayor June Harrison and the Blackburn Festival of Light Street Band.

Ward councillor Jeff Scales, who helped organise the festival, said it went ‘brilliantly well’.

He said: “I was absolutely chuffed to bits.

“In previous years there was always something that you looked back on and thought ‘ we could have done that a bit differently’.

“This year, in terms of the format and the layout it, went like clockwork. I think having the stage in the middle helped as it gave all the performers a panoramic view. All the performances went down really well and in the future we might have a few more as it brings thing to life a bit.

“In previous years we could only do the parade from the library.

“After all the effort by the committee and the groups, it’s lovely having a much longer parade that snakes through the town.”

Coun Scales praised the support of Hyndburn Police for ensuring the parade went off without a hitch and for getting involved on the day.

He said: “I want to give a big shout out to the police, particularly PCSO Iain McCarroll.

“He took the lead to rally his colleagues and get them involved and they were wonderful.

“They all attended on the day and engaged with the people. That was absolutely wonderful.

“We couldn’t have done it without them there.”