Cheadle Carnival - A Shining Example of Community Success
- Jul 21
- 8 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
This weekend (July 9th-12th), the Cheadle Carnival Committee hosted a fantastic event for the town. Previous Cheadle Carnivals have been a source of pride and admiration for recent generations, and this weekend's event was equally impressive.
The festival kicked off with a Dancefest event on the evening of the 9th and a parade through the town at 12 noon on Saturday, leading to the opening of a wealth of attractions as the parade made its way to Tean Road Recreation Ground and the crowds followed. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day, and the events and activities available shone almost as brightly. COGNEWS met with many people keen to share their stories on a very special day.
The Parade
Saturday at 12 noon saw Cheadle Town Centre closed for a short while to allow the carnival parade to take place. Walkers, entertainers, vehicles, and floats made their way in a circular route from the Carnival Ground on Tean Road Rec through the High Street. Local supporters came out in droves; they lined the High Street and Tean Road, many bringing chairs and picnic blankets. This year's theme was Seaside/Holidays. The Carnival Committee had organized a series of workshops to help charities, community groups, and businesses develop their own carnival style. Spectators then followed the parade into the parade ground where many happy activities were enjoyed by all.
The Family Festival
The event had three main activity areas: the field, the marquee, and the stage. Surrounding the perimeter were charity and sponsor stalls, some gifts, and lots of mini activities on offer: football shootout, coconut shies, and circus skills. There was a great range of sensibly priced food and drinks and a plethora of characters walking among the visitors and adding to the enjoyment of the day.
We saw many multigenerational families and friends, each with something for them to enjoy. The event was well-organized, well-executed, and at £10 for a weekend ticket and under-sixteens free, incredible value too.
On the Arena
Crowds watched as the motorbike stunt team "Get the Edge" amazed them with their riding skills.
In the Marque
Crowds were treated to an authentic English wrestling display, and spectators could sit in the shade to enjoy the spectacle.
On The Main Stage
Boasting two video screens and great family-friendly live music, visitors sat on the grass or their own chairs and enjoyed the cold drinks and great food from the variety of vendors, offering everything from ice cream to goat curry!
We Met With...
Forget Me Nots Florist
72 High Street, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, ST10 1AJ 01538 753367 www.forgetmenotscheadle.co.uk
Forget me nots Florist celebrated Carnival Parade Day as pirates, giving out sweets and little bouquets of flowers along the High Street. Aboard the Good Ship Forget Me Knots were Tracy and Katie (mum and daughter who run the shop joined by Tracy's son and part-time pirate and his lady.
The shop window (bow) had been bedecked with buried treasure. The shop owner and family love being a part of the community and would have liked to have been able to put together a float as well.
Leek CSOB
Leek CSOB had a great stand with an opportunity for visitors to enjoy a special style shootout featuring a giant dartboard. We spoke with organizers Nigel, Lorraine, and John Cox to find out more about the group.
Leek CSOB is a football team for people with disabilities. It's open to all ages, and although they are called Leek CSOB, they take players from across the Moorlands and have quite a few in Cheadle, with players also coming from the Potteries and Biddulph too. Ages range from about 17 up to 45 years old. They have an A team and a B team who play and train all year round. They go into tournaments, and John told us that they had just come back from a tournament in Ireland and were going to play in Sheffield tomorrow.
In the summer, they host a junior summer camp at the Birches in Leek, where they have about 25 kids with learning disabilities or additional needs come along, and they absolutely love it, and it shows that the team does too.
Club Chair Nigel told us that they've been a club for about 2 and a half years, and this year the team had excelled themselves, having won two leagues at the same time - the Derbyshire League and the Staffordshire League.
They have their own coaches and pay for their volunteer coaches to train, something that John and his son are both currently completing. Nigel proudly told us that his wife Lorraine completed the training, and about five years ago she was Grass Roots Coach of the Year. It was brilliant to meet some of the players too, and one chap in a very special shirt (3rd from the left) showcasing some of the teams they've played.
We wish them the best of luck in their matches ahead!
Local Morris Dancers
The lovely ladies pictured are from Leek Morris, part of a much bigger group but had just escaped for a moment to enjoy the carnival. The group had just completed one performance and were due to start another post break.
Sponsors James Du Pavey
James Du Pavey, local independent estate agents, looked very colourful with their purple branding. We spoke with Jaden about their presence at the carnival and their work in the town.
They are located at number one, The Shopping Centre on Tape Street Car Park. They've been in the town a little while now, and Jaden told us that the business is going well and they are expanding. They were at the carnival to meet and talk to people and just show a presence.
Jaden told us that they have a big team in the office and are expanding month by month. "It's exciting times, and it's exciting for the future," said Jaden. "Obviously, Cheadle is the primary focus, but we're getting a lot of people around all the different catchment areas as well. It's kind of a mix, lots of people who already live in the area and just want a change of location within the area and lots of other people who are coming from another area to move to such a beautiful place like this."
Staffordshire Local Policing Team the with Police Cadets
We spoke with Glenys, who told us about the Police Cadets, where the aim is that the youngsters are prepared for responsible citizenship, whatever walk of life they choose.
The types of activities they've got involved with recently include: visiting headquarters and seeing the firearms, the dogs, and the motorbikes. Before that, they had an inspector talk to them about the different ways of getting into the regular forces, whether with a degree or without a degree. All of these things are great for a CV, but it's more than that. Glenys told us, "It's not just for people who intend to join the police force as a career; it is just a really good organisation for young people to join to learn responsibility."
They meet at Leek Police Station on a Tuesday evening from 7-9 pm, and the next recruits will join in September when the schools start back, so now is a superb time for people to join," said Glenys.
Police Cadets are aged 13 to 18. Anyone interested in joining can apply online and find out more at:
The Queens Arms
The day before the carnival we popped in to see Amy, Landlady of The Queen's Arms on Queen Street Cheadle who along with a small team were putting together the finishing touches to their Blackpool themed float.
Precious Little Princess Parties
We were delighted to meet family favourites courtesy of Precious Little Princess Parties: Moana, Ariel, and Spider-Man. If you'd like them to come along to your next event take a look at plpp.co.uk/
Brownies & Guides
We spoke with Joanne Hopkinson, who runs 1st Churnet Guides and helps with 1st Kingsley Holt Brownies. Their stall ran three games: Spin the Wheel, The Jar Game, and a Lucky Dip. The money raised will be split between the two groups to run trips and also to help pay for young leaders to go to Croatia and for an international trip next year.
The Guides also played the Jar Game on Spitfire Day last month, and Joanne got the jars refilled by giving the empties back to the Guides, enabling them to be filled with their own ideas for prizes, which included a T-shirt and sweets.
The Cheadle Academy
We spoke with Nicola Slack, the principal of the Academy, who told us that they were at the Carnival to raise funds for a special project that they have going on in school. "We want to create an outside space for the students, something to support mental well-being, a classroom space for students to work outside, and a wildflower garden to help with the environment, so we're hoping to raise some money for that project," Mrs. Slack said.
They are planning to deliver the project in waves. "We're going to break it down a little bit. We'd like some canopy spaces outside, which are incredibly expensive. We'd like some outside table tennis tables for the students, break it into little sections, doing little bits at a time so the students can see what they are raising money for and the impact it's going to have. It'll take a while to get the finished vision up and running, but I think they can see that we are working towards it. I think that's going to help with momentum."
Today we've got a darts competition going on. We've got different age categories, so at the end of the day, we'll see who's got the highest score, and then there are some prizes to give out. We've got a dumpling that seems to be the big craze at the moment, so there's a raffle for the dumpling. We've got a guess the name of the Lucky Duck.
Later on in the year, we've got a color run on the 18th of September at Cheadle Academy, so we're going to do a bit more of a festival. They've chosen the date because there's a lot going on in Cheadle at the moment, and it's timed to welcome the new intake when school is a bit quieter, and it will be a nice way to welcome the families. At secondary school, I think you kind of lose that sometimes; at primary school, you see the parents, you get the drop-off and the pickup every day. At secondary school, you don't tend to have that as much.
There are limited opportunities for us to get out into the community, but that's something that I'm really keen to do. I want people to see who we are, what we're about, community spirit, and that's another reason why we're here today. Yes, it's about raising money for students, but it's also about getting involved and being seen in the community.
And Finally
Local resident Gemma and her group were enjoying the music in the grounds on Saturday. She said that she was here at Tean Road last night for the Dancefest, they've watched the Carnival Parade in the High Street and intended to relax today at the event, coming along again on Sunday for the final day.
She said it is nice seeing so many people out and that the carnival committee has done a great job, but they need more support.
Let's all help to rally around the amazing organisers to make Cheadle Carnival even better next year and a little easier on the passionate people who do us proud every time.
Something that is vital for our community is the opportunity for our community groups to use the carnival to forward their causes: Brownies and Guides raising funds for trips, Disability Football showcasing their great passion and success, the Cheadle Academy fundraising for student wellness. It is, to coin an expression, sticking to this year's theme "A Rising Tide Which Raises All Ships"!
We'd like to add our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the committee for their wonderful work this year and pledge our support for their next adventure!
Cheadle Carnival - A Shining Example of Community Success created 12th July 2026
