THE organisers of the first Chippenham carnival in 16 years have hit back at claims that the parade was disappointing and are encouraging those with ideas to come forward and help plan next year’s event.

Some revellers thought the waking procession was too short on Saturday, despite the town being packed full of people, but Chippenham Connected has stuck by its event, which it organised in just three months.

“The things in the park were pretty good but the actual parade was pathetic with more security than actual participants,” said Matthew Greenland, of Queen’s Crescent. “The organiser must have known prior to the day how small it was going to be - why not let the kids and families who attended join it?

“Everyone was shocked when it finished so quickly. We just feel disappointed as they built it up but didn’t deliver.

“It was great to see a bit of buzz in the town and the High Street full of people, though, so I hope they will do it against next year and make it better.”

Several complaints posted on social media mentioned the lack of floats but the organisers were unable to secure a licence.

In a statement posted on Facebook, which also included messages of thanks, Chippenham Connected said: “We contacted every community group we could find in and around Chippenham to invite them to be in the procession this year because we wanted to come back with a bang.

“Many had members away and so couldn’t participate, some needed more time to prepare and sadly several didn’t reply.

“It is a very brave thing to do to walk or dance (often in costume) in front of thousands of people to celebrate what you do and what you bring to the community of Chippenham, and we are absolutely delighted that we had a wonderful group of people in the procession doing just that.

“A carnival is a community event, and the procession is the focal point of it. To anyone disappointed in the size of the procession this year we would encourage you to get involved and support your local carnival.”

n Parade: Pages 12-13; Nostalgia: Page 52

“We can organise the range of events and entertainment on The Island in Monkton Park and we can coordinate the road closures and health and safety side of the procession.

“We can, and did, reach out to everyone we could find to take part in the procession, but that’s where the community comes in.

“If you are involved in a group and would like to be in a future Carnival please let us know - we would love to have you involved.”