Parishes left out of cavalcade disappointed but accept change
OFFICIALS of parishes left out of this year’s planned Liberation Day cavalcade route have reluctantly accepted the decision to use a ‘less stressful’ route for the vintage vehicles taking part.
The parade on 9 May will go around the coast from the Imperial to Town, where it will stop and become a static display. It will not reach St Andrew’s, St Martin’s and Forest, after some drivers said it was too difficult to get their old motors back up into the higher parishes.
Dean of St Andrew’s douzaine Mike O’Hara, who is also head of the parish’s Liberation Day planning committee, said that he was disappointed, but understood why the change was made.
‘We had no input in the decision. I was rung up by ESC about a month ago informing me of the change. We will just have to accept it,’ he said.
Mr O’Hara added that he would now have to look at planning any potential Liberation Day event in St Andrew’s in a different way, due to more parish residents going to the coast or to Town to watch the cavalcade.
St Martin’s senior constable Dave Beausire was also disappointed at seeing his parish left off the route.
‘It would have been nice to have it come through because it worked really well with the timing of our event last year,’ he said.
Mr Beausire added that he would have liked to have seen the cavalcade split, and at least some vehicles carry on through St Martin’s.
‘Ultimately it came down to what the vehicle operators thought was best. We will still be carrying on with hosting our own event, and we will now concentrate on that,’ he said.
Forest senior constable Jane Niles said she was generally positive about the route change, despite there being no consultation with the parish.
‘It’ll still be a nice event. It’s a big ask for volunteers to put on local events in the parishes,’ she said, adding that the general view of all the douzaines was that Liberation Day should mainly be celebrated in Town.
John Gillson, organiser of a campaign to save annual Liberation celebrations in Town, said that the decision to change the route was a logical one, due to the previous difficulties experienced by some of the cavalcade vehicles.
‘I have to agree with it,’ he said, adding that there was no reason why it should not end in Town.
