Village good causes benefit from Kings Langley Carnival (From Watford Observer)

Village good causes benefit from Kings Langley Carnival

2:00pm Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News By Ben Endley, Senior reporter

Schools, community groups and charities serving Kings Langley residents have all been handed a share of the profits from this year’s carnival.

At a cheque presentation evening last Wednesday (September 12) at Kings Langley Cricket Club more than £2,700 was handed out to good causes operating in the village.

The recipients were selected from causes already supported by the Hemel Hempstead Rotary Club, groups that applied for grants and those that helped organise the carnival.

Mayor of Dacorum, Councillor Bert Chapman, was on hand to make the presentations together with the president of the Rotary club, Alan Sellers.

Carnival organiser Martin Horsted said he was very happy with the total considering it is the first year the event has been organised by Hemel Hempstead Rotary Club.

He said: "We are very happy with the total, from the club’s point of view it has been a very successful event.

"We have had a number of organisations approach us with specific requests, others it is in recognition of the help they have given us.

"I am really pleased we were able to distribute funds to groups representing ages from scouts up to helping pay for older residents to visit the seaside."

The largest beneficiary was the Dacorum Community Trust, one of the Rotary club’s adopted charities, which received £500 to be spent in the village.

The Hospice of St Francis also received a £400 donation while All Saints Church benefited to the tune of £350.

The Kings Langley Good Neighbours Association was also gifted £350 to help cover the cost of taking its members to the coast.

Mr Horsted said: "It was a pretty good year, I have been involved with the carnival since 1999 and although we may have raised a bit more in previous years it is an excellent amount considering we don’t get the grants we used to.

"We will be starting planning for next year’s carnival in the next couple of months and, although there are people from the village involved, we would always like to hear from anybody interested in helping out."

Next year’s carnival will be on June 22, anybody interested in helping organise the event can contact Martin Horsted on 01442 834275.