Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Fair fun for Carnival king Ciaran
JUDITH TONNER
Airdrie schoolboy Ciaran Davies is enjoying all the fun of the fair as he kicks off the new year – after being chosen as an official ambassador of the 100th annual festive Carnival in Glasgow.
The seven-year-old was chosen as one of five official ambassadors for the 2019 centenary event and will become the face of the funfair, which runs at the SEC until Sunday.
Ciaran won unlimited and behind-thescenes access to the month- long fair for himself and three relatives or friends; and is sharing his favourite rides, top tips for visitors and stories of his trips to the Carnival with its 50,000 social media followers.
He was chosen for the role after the Glasgow institution launched a search to find the event’s biggest fans, aiming to celebrate carnival-goers from across the decades.
Sponsored by Irn Bru, the Carnival is Europe’s largest indoor funfair and includes 65 rides from the traditional carousel to new favourites like the Drop Zone, as well as stalls and a hall of memories for its 100th year.
Greg Cherry, the managing director of QD Events, praised the “amazing entries” to the ambassador competition and said: “Each winner is a true Carnival super-fan, and we can’t wait to see what fantastic content Ciaran will create as part of his role.
“The amount of entries we received really showed us how important the Carnival is to people and we’re delighted to be able to include some of our regulars in our centenary celebrations, and invite our visitors to follow their experiences with us.”
Meanwhile, festive shoppers in Airdrie were also treated to a quirky sing-song as they stocked up on Christmas essentials at the town’s branch of Morrisons.
Irn Bru sent its “phenomenally festive” carol crew to the store as part of a whistlestop tour of central Scotland which saw the singers start at the AG Barr factory in Cumbernauld and then make six stops through Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Edinburgh.
Decked out in orange, the distinctive choir serenaded shoppers with “festive favourites with a twist”, including Hark! The Happy Drinkers Sing!, Joy to the Weeg and Jingle Bru.