Party aims to keep the flame alive in Kendal

A TWO-DAY spectacle of music and family fun featuring star guests will be held in Kendal this weekend.

The Keep The Flame group has organised the event to make up for the loss of this year’s Torchlight Carnival.

After the annual parade was axed by organisers, Keep The Flame launched a fund-raising drive to save it and hoped delaying it a month would buy them extra time.

But the clock was against them, so now the group has pooled its resources and decided to hold an event in the Westmorland Shopping Centre.

Tomorrow (Friday) between 6pm and 9pm the centre will be taken over by live music, dancers, a magician, cheerleaders, Blue Dog Music School, a flash mob, plus stalls, food, activities and other entertainement.

Mad-cap dancer and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steven Hall and Team GB water polo Olympian Glen Robinson, of Kendal, will be special guests.

And classic cars will be on display on Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

There will be a small fee for some of the activities with proceeds and donations from the weekend being split between South Lakeland charities and next year’s Kendal Torchlight Carnival.

The carnival was cancelled for the first time in its 42-year history after a volunteer and cash shortage.

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But organisers have confirmed it will return in 2013.

Kendal Town Council has already set aside £10,000 towards putting the carnival on in September 2013.

Comments(3)

emmielou says...
4:32pm Wed 17 Oct 12

£10,000 for a one night event????? I'm sure that money could go towards local charities that run all year round helping and supporting the local people. What has happened to the £2000 that keep the flame were given this year by the town council to run a town carnival??? If that's not happening now and they are being sponsored by westmorland shopping centre instead, where has that money gone to? I just feel that both councils have their priorities wrong, giving thousands to a one day event yet very little to charities in need. What charities are benefiting from keep the flame? Will it be the usual ones that already get plenty of funding or will smaller local charities benefit?

madscientist says...
9:58pm Wed 17 Oct 12

Hi emmielou

I am a committee member of keep the flame.
The £2000 that was donated to us has been given back to the council. We are as yet undecided which charities will benefit but they definately be local ones which have not benefited from money collected during the torchlight which is a substantial amount. If you have any suggestions please feel free to contact us on facebook or keeptheflame@hotmail
.co.uk. They will be greatly received.

madscientist says...
10:15pm Wed 17 Oct 12

*gratefully received.

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