PENRITH Town Council has agreed to take the lead in organising of the May Day Carnival for the town in 2025.

The May Day Carnival is a key event in the town’s calendar which brings together local charities, community groups and performers to deliver a programme of entertainment for local people and tourists alike.

However, the future of the event had been put into doubt following the Penrith Lions Club making the decision to bow out from taking the lead in organising the event.

The Lions said that the ‘regulatory framework’ for the carnival has steadily become ‘more complex’.

They said that the cost during the last twelve months to ensure compliance in areas such as health and safety and noise control has increased considerably, as too has the cost of securing public liability insurance.

In the aftermath of the 2024 May Day Carnival, the members of Penrith Lions Club undertook a detailed review of the event which led them to conclude that the demands of the carnival’s organisation now exceed the capacity of the club and ‘with great regret’, they took the decision that they will no longer take the lead role in organising the carnival.

On Monday, July 15, Councillor Charlie Shepherd brought a motion to the town council to take the lead in providing the May Day Event. This was agreed by the council.

Cllr Doug Lawson, Penrith Town Council Chair and Penrith Mayor said: “On behalf of the council, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Penrith Lions Club, a voluntary organisation who have put so much time and effort into organising the May Day Carnival event for the town for 40 years.

“Looking forward to 2025, I am so pleased to see the council agreeing to take a lead role.

"I’m sure it’s something our residents would have hoped and perhaps expected of us.

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“The council previously supported the Penrith Lions Club with the delivery of the 2024 event - allowing us to develop an understanding of the event planning and requirements – so I am confident that we will be able to deliver a fantastic event for the town next year.

“The council has already committed to working with other organisations in Penrith including the Arts and Culture Stakeholder Group to make this a great event, so watch this space in the coming months for more information about next year’s May Day Carnival.”