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Happier times at a previous carnival

Members of the team that established Crumpsall Carnival and Fun Day in 1996 have been forced to cut their involvement after moving to new jobs taking them away from the area.

Only a handful of dedicated organisers are left and they fear they will be unable to carry it off this summer unless more pairs of hands can be coaxed to become involved.

A recruitment campaign has now been launched to draw new members to become Friends of Crumpsall Park and help run the successful carnival due to take place on July 15.

Successes achieved by the Friends so far were outlined at a public meeting on Saturday at the park visitor centre that the group was active in setting up.

The visitor centre now houses a club for children on Saturdays and during the school holidays and the park boasts new football and basketball pitches, and children's play equipment as well as a dog-friendly zone.

Wardens now operate in the park to deter vandalism and schools are being approached to identify members of staff to involve pupils in the park and use it for leisure, education and sporting activities.

Helen Lambert, who chairs the Friends group, hopes more support can be drummed up to save this year's carnival.

She said: "Hundreds of people turn up on the day but it's very hard to get anyone willing to help organise it. There weren't as many stalls last year and some people told us it wasn't as good as the year before but they're not prepared to get involved.

"We need people to work on the carnival committee. If we don't do it, it's not going to happen this year. If people could just take on one task; organising the raffle or refreshments, that sort of thing; it would take the pressure off."