The Spalding Flower Parade for 2027 is the latest to have been cancelled with organisers urging volunteers to come forward to ensure it has a future.
In January this year’s event was cancelled to focus on next year’s with organisers saying it didn’t have the £90,000 needed to put on the event.
The money was intended to roll over to putting on the 2027 parade on May 8 and 9.
The committee behind the event have continued to put on numerous fund raising events, though a planned election for a new Flower Queen meant to have taken place in May was also cancelled.
The committee was formed to ensure the 2025 parade took place over two days after it had initially been cancelled by Steve Timewell who raised over £100,000 to bring the event back in 2024 after a 10 year break since its previous cancellation.
Despite this, the current committee, now headed by Lee Dickins, says it is looking to run an event in 2028 and then every other year, but it needs volunteers and supporters.
“Right now, forcing a parade in 2027 feels a bit like trying to push a giant float uphill with flat tires,” the statement from the committee says. “We had a massive heart-to-heart and even asked the scary question, do we just fold the CIC (Community Interest Company, a not for profit organisation that runs the parade) altogether?
“The short answer: absolutely not.
”Instead, we are taking a breath, a fresh start, and a new direction.
“We are officially aiming for 2028 as the grand return of the parade! Going forward, our plan is to run the parade every two years to keep it sustainable, well-funded, and sane.
“We know missing 2027 feels like a blow, and trust us, it breaks our hearts too. But we’d rather take the extra year to build something incredible and long-lasting than burn out trying to rush it.”
The statement says it follows previous director Dave Mustoe stepping down from the role.
“The stress has been immense, and health and well-being will always come first, we’re thrilled he’s not escaping completely,” the statement says. “He’ll still be sticking around to run some of the entertainment.”
The committee also though say the event won’t happen without people coming on board.
“This is a community parade, and we literally cannot pull off 2028 without extra hands,” it says urging people to contact it via the Spalding Flower Parade Facebook group. “We need fresh ideas, extra hands, and passionate local people to join the team and shape the future of the parade.”
The statement also says that refunds are being processed for people who had booked floats for the parade.
