The carnival is not organised by Woodley Town Council; it is not funded from the taxes you pay; we are a registered charity. We do rely on the support of the local community and your generosity to hold the event each year.
To hold this year’s carnival cost £45,500 and this can be broken down into 6 key areas which we have to have in place to gain a licence to hold the event.
- First Aid - We all understand the need for medical cover; the cost of this is around £1,800
- Fencing - This is not just to keep people out but also to keep people in. When a call for a missing child goes out the gates are closed until that child is found. Safety is paramount; the cost of fencing is around £3,500
- Security - Local Police are not required to attend private events. Our hired Security also ensure the procession proceeds through the streets of Woodley safely with minimal disruption to the traffic flows of both private and municipal transport; the cost of this is around £6,000
- Toilets - Well when you need them you need them! The cost of this is around £2,300
- Insurance - We all need to know should the unexpected happen we are covered; the cost of is around £2000
- Evening Concert – To stage a concert we need a stage, sound, lighting and of course our firework finale. The cost of this is around £10,000
These costs are why we must charge an entry fee.
This year the entry fee raised £25,000 so an additional £20,000 is needed for the carnival to cover its costs. We look to do this by charging for pitches on the carnival field and through sponsorship, without our sponsors support we would have to increase the entry fee
The carnival is more than just the day itself, the signage around Woodley, programme design, printing and distribution contribute to the overall costs plus the gate teams (who are made up of members from our local charities) also receive a donation for their hard work on the day.
To hold a day that celebrates the community spirit in Woodley costs money, we try our very best to deliver an annual event that is fun, inclusive and affordable to the population of the town.
In summary we believe the Carnival continues to be good value for money with the option to pay for just the afternoon or evening.
