Saturday, May 13, 2023 is the new date for the Spalding Flower Parade.
King Charles III’s Coronation on the original date of May 5 left chief organiser Steve Timewell with little option but to move the date after he’d contacted key stakeholders.
The potential for a celebration alongside the crowning had been mooted but he told a meeting of the organising committee that opposition came from Lincolnshire County Council which feels many streets could be closed for parties on that day and Lincolnshire Police who said officers could be deployed to London.
Coach operators had already cancelled planned visits for May 5 and Mr Timewell said some businesses may have closed to allow staff to watch the coronation.
He also said because of the live music element of the event, the county council would rather it not take place on a Sunday as was also a possibility.
The meeting was told that after ringing around the various providers, the only ones unable to meet the new date was one of the bands and one float holder.
Mr Timewell also said there were few related expenses involved with changing the dates including 5,000 leaflets with the old date on and some banners which have already been altered to show the new date.
South Holland District Council has also waived the licence fee so the organisers don’t have to pay again to apply for a licence for the new day.
Other business being carried out by the organising committee includes being in the process of applying for charity status while the event insurance was “99 per cent” done.
“It’s brilliant how everyone has pulled together to get it switched with comparatively little hassle,” he said.
“It was a very stressful 24 hours after the coronation date was announced but I slept very soundly after the meeting.”
* The Spalding Flower Parade committee is after volunteer welders as they begin work on restoring the old parade floats they’ve secured.
They’re looking for people who know what they’re doing and are able to spare a few hours to get the floats back up to standard after years in storage.
Anyone interested is asked to contact Steve on 07516 902673.
* A special Bingo Night is being held to raise funds for the Spalding Flower Parade tonight (Thursday. October 20).
The event is taking place at the Spalding Services Club on High Street.
The event takes place at 7pm and attendees are encouraged to bring something along that could be a prize in the raffle.
For more information contact organiser Jan Whitbourn on [email protected] or call 07779 895388.
