GET INVOLVED

Would you like a say in how the Carnival is organised and what is involved on the day?

This event is run by Baildon People, for Baildon people.

YOU are invited to contact Matthew Wildman or Rob Higgie to get involved.

You don’t have to do anything more than you want to.

It may just be adding your views at a meeting and having a vote.

People only take on roles if they really want to and there is no pressure to do more.

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WHO’S WHO AT BAILDON CARNIVAL

It is with great appreciation of the many hours of time, both before, during and after the carnival itself, that I am writing about each of the people below. Without the selfless community spirit and ongoing efforts of each person listed here, the Carnival would not be what it is today.

Howard Bentley-Smith
Stalls Manager - (Committee member & Marshall)

Howard took over Stalls management from Cllr Mike Pollard (Previously from Alan Clements) and has been instrumental in the introduction of more stalls and events as the carnival grows.

Howard took over the Field Layouts from Rob Higgie when Rob thought it was best to delegate some of the many roles he was responsible for. Now nothing goes anywhere without Howard agreeing to it.

Rob Higgie
Health and Safety Coordinator and Joint Main Event Coordinator - (Committee member, Deputy Treasurer & Marshall)

Since the Baildon community assumed responsibility for the Carnival from Baildon Council, Rob Higgie has been at the very centre of rebuilding the carnival from near extinction. As new members have joined our group, they have appreciated the support that Rob has given to every member as they have felt welcome and part of a happy and productive team.

On Carnival day, Rob now mainly overseas with health and safety first and foremost, then supports everyone to ensure everything is going to plan, with him ready to act, as and when support is needed wherever that may be.

Rob joined the first team of Baildon Marshalls to assist with lending support to the Ilkley Carnival Team for their event in May.

Ben Merrett
Shadow Event Coordinator, Joint Field safety liaison, Paramedic Liaison, Head Marshall & Contact for Lost Children - (Committee member & Marshall)

Ben is another who joined the committee for the first time in 2019 and is keen to help out in many ways.

Ben joined the first team of Baildon Marshalls to assist with lending support to the Ilkley Carnival Team for their event in May.

Ann Foster (Baildon Cllr)
Road Closure Manager / Vice Chair / Carnival Secretary- (Committee member, & Marshall with Chapter 8 Traffic Management)

Ann joined the committee in 2018 and immediately took on one the most challenging roles on offer, to resurrect the Carnival Procession. With her guidance and the support of the rest of the committee, she achieved her goal in her very first year. With more time to prepare and a chance to build on what was started in the 1st year, the next years procession was bigger and better, with much more including the involvement of local schools, a theme and a marching band.

Ann joined the first team of Baildon Marshalls to assist with lending support to the Ilkley Carnival Team for their event in May.

Ann has now progressed to the role of Road Safety Manager. There are many roads to close just for the short time it takes for the procession to leave the centre and arrive safely on the field.

Ann is a Chapter 8 trained road safety official and now organises the training of others in road safety management. Not only for Baildon, but also for marshalls of other local events in and around the vicinity of Baildon.

Ann joined the first team of Baildon Marshalls to assist with lending support to the Ilkley Carnival Team for their event in May.

Ann is also a Baildon Town Councillor.

Kate Griffin (Baildon Cllr)
Assitant Road Closure Manager / Senior road Marshall- (Committee member & Marshall with Chapter 8 Traffic Management)

Kate is one of those that appears to be helping everyone and still makes herself available for the next problem (is this magic?)

Kate is also a Baildon Town Councillor.

Christine Jagger
Main Procession organiser / Road Marshall- (Committee member & Marshall)

Christine has been with the committee for several years and excelled in many roles.

Christine is now the main procession manager at a time when the role has grown substantially, with bands, entertainers, schools, dance groups and over 1000 people now walking the procession each year.

Hannah Jowett
Performances organiser for dance groups and gymnastics / Social Media- (Committee member & Marshall)

Hannah liaises with local dance and gymnastic groups to arrange their involvement in the parade and organises their performances on the main field during the carnival. Since 2023, we now provide a dedicated area for the performances, including a tent to prepare, a tent to gather after each performance and better opportunities for the public to watch each display.

Hannah hopes to be posting regular carnival updates on our social media accounts too.

Vickie Jowett
Treasurer / Programme / Advertising- (Committee member & Marshall)

Vickie has taken on the role of Treasurer and is taking it to the next level, providing important extra detail for deciding budgets. Budgetting is getting more difficult as the cost of putting on the carnival rises every year. Vickie is also working with Ann on the advertising brochure, which also improves every year, with more information in the programme and more advertisers coming on board.

Connor Wilson
Assistant Social Media, deputy head Field Marshall, research and development of new equipment and procedures.- (Committee member, & Marshall with section 8 Traffic Management)

Connor joined the committee showing bags of potential in many areas. He is reliable and always thinking of what we can do to improve. He is responsible for the introduction of better communications between the marshals at keys times and is currently looking at body cameras, to better ensure the safety of the marshals in threatening situations. He also shadows Ben helping with the many responsibilities that they both deliver as a team.

Jan Pollard
Schools Liaison / Minutes of the meetings- (Committee member, & Marshall)

Jan is another very important member of the team. Jan attends most meetings and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. Advising with ideas and alternative options and taking the minutes in a very helpful way that we can all understand and refer back to.

Jan is a member of many other local charitable groups and provides a very useful link between the carnival and those organisations (for the benefit of both)

Colin Ackroyd
Now Retired but not forgotten - (Ex Committee member, Marshall + Chapter 8 Traffic Management).

Colin was one of the hardest working members of the Carnival team and assisted the event for many years, covering multiple roles after starting as part of the Musical Team working the main stage and moving on to traffic management and helping accross every team. He will be missed.

Colin joined the first team of Baildon Marshalls to assist with lending support to the Ilkley Carnival Team for their event in May.

Bren Travis
Stage Manager for ... Music on the ‘Live at the Lounge’ Main Stage

Bren is a very talented and highly rated Musician and Music Teacher. He started at The Beat It Music School in Baildon and became an independent teacher, operating from home in Saltaire. Bren also took charge of the local ‘Live at the lounge’ sessions from Steve Gibson. Bren puts a lot of time and effort into giving opportunities for local musicians to perform at the carnival and locally.

Sarah Widdup
The Beat It Music Accoustic Tent - (Near the Rubgy Club House)

Sarah is a very talented and highly rated Vocalist and Musician. She wil be taking time off from gracing some very prestigious stages, to help at her local carnival. Sarah Orignally attended Beat It Music School in Baildon Village and has helped bring local musicians to the Carnival for many years. Sarah originally attended many of the Original ‘Live at the Lounge’ shows in the village, when it was run by Beat It Music School.

In the tent, Sarah will be providing Music from many local musicians throughout the day. Please go along and support them.

Matthew Wildman
Carnival Chairman- (Committee member)

Matthew joined the committee to assist Peter Ashton, Jo Ashton and Rob Higgie in bringing people together to resurrect the Baildon Carnival after it briefly disappeared from the Baildon Calendar. Once Peter and Jo stepped aside, Matthew took over as Chairman and committed to making the Carnival financially secure, self funding and broadening its impact on the very community that is represents. Together with the remaining committee, we brought in many more members, to help lighten the burden on a small team and make running the carnival more enjoyable for all concerned.

The Committee and it's associated Volunteers have grown in numbers to the present day and more names will be added to this list asap.