VIKINGS SHAKE GOOSEBERRY'S 007

The "cast" of the James Bond Float

   It was as everyone agreed one of the best ever rose days with a procession  of floats that wouldn't have looked out place in the Lord Mayor's show - made all the  more a great Goostrey spectacle  because  for once the heavens took pity and the rain stayed away! The  sunniest festival for several years was also one of the biggest turnouts for the crowning of the Rose queen, 13-year-old Anna DeSouza, as part of a village tradition founded in 1905! I don't recall seeing so many attractions and events on the fIeld - even a tug of war won with some mighty muscle by the Crown Inn -  and the high standard of the floats must have  given the judges a hard time!The Goostrey Gooseberry Society in which I must declare an interest had James Bond as its theme this year but in the event 007 was left shaken and stirred like the  hero's vodka and martini - a magnificent Vesu float built by the Viking Explorer Scout Unit won the silver trophy. The gooseberry men put up a good show though but they were no match for their nearest rivals dressed to kill with swords and fierce-some looking horns!

Gooseberry Society's float

Sue Mottershead, the Rose Day chairman, was delighted at the success of the festival and said it was due in no small part not only to the patrons for their financial support but to the scores of volunteers helping to make the event run smoothly, as well as the hard work behind the scenes of the organising committee.
*Watch out for more pictures from the day!