‘Fantastic’ turnout for Darnhill Festival

Darnhill Festival

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Heywood was filled with bright colours and lively music today (Saturday 12 July) as the Darnhill festival took place.

The festival, which is in its eleventh year, saw local schools and community groups comes together to celebrate the greatest inventions of the past years.

The event started with a parade around the Darnhill estate showcasing inventions such as electricity, the health service and music.

After the parade, those in attendance were treated to stalls as well as face painting, hair braiding, circus skills, games and entertainment.

Rick Walker from Cartwhell Arts, who helped organise the festival and parade, said: “We are delighted with how everything has run today and the turnout from the community and the schools involved has been fantastic. This year's theme has been one of the more complicated themes but the response has been brilliant.”

As well as the parade and festival, workshops ran beforehand with children asked to design the best invention never made.

The winner of the workshops was Antony Mason, a year 8 pupil at Holy Family, who designed the Violin Player Thing. The invention led the parade.

MP for Heywood and Middleton Jim Dobbin said: “I am very attached to Darnhill because I was a councillor here in the 90s. It was nice to see such a colourful procession and it is nice to see everyone here at this great event.”