A great success with over 700 people attending.
Longbenton Carnival was originally the idea of a community artist and the first one took place in 1999. It went on to become a huge event and demonstrated the huge amount of community spirit which exists in the area. In 2000 the Youth Centre worked alongside community artists Annie and Rob producing costumes that the young people wore on the day. The carnival was a great success, with over 700 people attending, all of them gaining an insight into a variety of different cultures.
The Young at Heart group that meets every week in the Youth and Community Centre took part in the carnival in 2000, designing and creating a ‘Young at Heart 2000 Banner’ which was included in the Carnival Parade on July 15th. That banner is now in the keeping of Longbenton Methodist Church.
Editor’s Note – If anyone has any memories of the carnivals that used to take place in Longbenton we would love to have them, as several people have told us what wonderful occasions they were.