A WORCESTER charity left in the lurch after the city’s carnival was cancelled has raised more than £1,600 with a barbecue.
Headway Worcestershire, a brain injury charity, was set to be Worcester Carnival’s chosen charity before the event was cancelled at the last minute.
After spending months creating props for a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory themed float to appear in the parade, the charity’s efforts did not go to waste, with staff and volunteers organising a special barbecue bash.
Using the props intended for the float, the New Inn pub in Claines was transformed into the infamous chocolate factory where guests enjoyed a barbecue, bouncy castle and live band.
Julia Protesaru, fund-raiser at Headway, said: “After the announcement of the cancellation of the carnival we were all pretty sad and disappointed, but the barbecue bash turned out to be a fantastic day.
“We are happy to announce we raised a glorious total of £1,637 which will go towards helping those affected by brain injury in Worcestershire. We will be forever grateful to Keith and the staff at the New Inn in Claines for their effort on the day.”
Alan Feeney, who serves as Worcester City councillor for Warndon Parish North, has since taken over as the organiser of the carnival after the much-anticipated event was cancelled due to ‘operational circumstances’.
“He was kind enough to apologise for the issues we were forced to face and was extremely empathetic about the whole situation,” added Julia.
“He ensured us that next year’s carnival will be organised in a transparent manner and he recognised that the last two years of Carnivals has left the residents of Worcester City sceptical about the potential of a 2017 edition, and that he is looking for support from the local community in his endeavour.
“We were relieved to finally have some explanation on the cancellation and that helped a lot.”
Mel Akers, CEO at Headway Worcestershire, said: “A big thank you to everyone who helped with the arrangements and helped on the day. We rely on the support of the community to continue offering services to the people with brain injuries and to those affected by one.”
Headway will be holding a fete on Saturday (September 17) from 11am to 2pm at the Day Centre in Worcester.
The event is to raise money to support the charity’s vital services, with tombola, a raffle, refreshments, cake and crafts.
