Thousands due at town carnival

Thousands of visitors are expected to pack out Stourbridge for an event which is fast becoming one of the region's biggest.

Stourbridge Carnival will be held on July 1 and has been given the theme of health and fitness by organisers.

Preparations for the big day have been underway for months with members of the organising committee lining up a variety of events to keep visitors entertained.

Events will begin at 10am in the High Street which will be packed with traditional stalls and a craft fair throughout the day. Other activities will include morris dancing, stilt-walkers, dancing groups, martial arts demonstrations and singers.

Music will be provided by jazz and brass bands with youngsters also getting the chance to meet birds of prey and take part in competitions.

A classic car show will be held in Lower High Street and the annual parade will also be taking place as planned around the High Street and neighbouring roads.

The winner of the parade will receive the Percy Oakley Trophy, in honour of the well-known town resident. Youngsters will also compete in the Carnival Princess competition.

In keeping with the theme of health and fitness, a hospital roadshow will be on hand at the event this year to give people advice and get their blood pressure checked.

The event has been steadily growing over the past few years to become one of the most popular held in the town.

It will be the largest carnival-style event taking place in the town after organisers of the neighbouring Wordsley Festival were forced to cancel their event this year. Organiser David Harcourt said the carnival promised to be the biggest yet.

But he said people still had time to organise a stall or display which promoted health and fitness.

"We are expecting this year's event to be bigger than the previous ones and have already had a lot of interest from people who want to take part," he said.

"However we would still like to hear from anyone who wants to take part."

For more information on participating in the event call Mr Harcourt on 01384 378209.