Carnival will embrace the sights and sounds of the 1940s

A taste of the 1940s will be hitting the historic streets of Lavenham on August Bank Holiday Monday when the village carnival teams up with the Rare Breeds Motor Show.

A themed procession will kick-start the carnival at noon on Monday 31st August leading the crowds from the Market Place to the recreation ground.

Arena attractions include the Skyliner band, the Diamond Majorettes, the Suffolk Hunt hounds, Abigail Collins performing her Une Femme Exposee show and the Ragroof Players who will be hosting a tea dance.

Alongside this, the Lavenham Press Rare Breeds Motor Show, also displayed on the recreation ground, will feature 450 vintage and classic cars.

The carnival returns to Lavenham after a one-year break and organisers are hoping for a spectacle in keeping with an event that was first started in the village more than 40 years ago.

Annie Eves-Boland, from the Lavenham Carnival Committee, said: “The carnival has always been a big part of Lavenham life.

“We are delighted to team up with the Lavenham Press Rare Breeds Motor Show to ensure there is something for everyone on the day.

“Lavenham Carnival is an annual community event, which celebrates the village in which we live, learn and trade in, and most significantly raises funds on behalf of the Lavenham Community Council.”

The procession will include floats carrying people dressed as wartime evacuees, the Armed Forces, land girls, glam girls and the Home Guard.

A host of craft and charity stalls will include one run by the 8th in the East and Lavenham’s Swan Hotel displaying World War Two memorabilia and artefacts and supplying information on the Airmen’s bar signatures project.

Period funfair rides, a children’s activities tent and a slideshow of amusements managed by the Bureau of Silly Ideas, are among the fun and games aimed at youngsters.

The event is supported and sponsored by a number of local businesses as well as Lavenham Press, Sworders, Project Orange, the Parish Council, The Lavenham Forum and residents of Lavenham.

Admission is £5 per adult, while under-16s get in for free, with the procession to the recreation ground starting at noon and the event ending at 5.30pm.

For more information on the carnival, please email lavenhamcarnival@hotmail.co.uk or you can follow the latest updates via the Facebook page - search Lavenham Carnival - or on Twitter @lavenhamcarni.