It’s Just another May Day programme

Maybe it is, but as I sign off the May Eden Local, within 48 hours I’ll be signing off my first attempt at a May Day programme for the Penrith Lions 40th May Day Carnival. Every May Day has had a programme but have you ever thought how much history is held in the 39 programmes that have been produced?

I’m not going to go through every single programme, because firstly, I haven’t got the space and secondly in my possession I’ve only got 30 of the 39 produced. However, all being well, people reading this might have one of those missing numbers. My Penrith Lions Club Carnival programme wish is at the end of this article.

We’ll start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, and it’s 1981. With just 4 pages, black ink on yellow paper priced at 20p, it included a lucky draw number; yes, every programme was individually numbered. The first prize that year was a Quart of Whisky! Just seven advertisers, one of these advertisers still advertises now. That’s a question and an answer you’ll find in the 40th Mayday Programme quiz. You can pre order nowdetails are at the bottom of the page with a list of sellers.

Back to the 1981 programme, the telephone numbers then had just five digits. What is now the Eden Local number appears as 62394 in the 1983 programme. I haven’t got a 1982 programme, have you?

Back to 1981, the schedule for the day included a coal carrying race, a lady’s pancake race and there was of course, the grand parade of floats, bands and fancy dress. A junior race took place, to the top of Fell Lane and back. The senior race was via Carleton, Roundthorn, the Beacon Summit and finished in Devonshire Street. Also listed was the Grand Gurning Competition, judged by the Gurning Champion, Tony Nicholson.

The event that caught my eye, however, is the following extract from the programme…

I’m guessing, hoping mainly that Tuesday 5th had to be in the school holidays. There was no May Queen and without the 1982 programme we have gap. So, on to 1983, Penrith Lions’ President, then Stan Calver, was ready for the weather…

That May Day, the stalls and competitions were running from 10am to 5pm. But it also had evening activities, so it didn’t stop at 5pm!

So, now you know why I’m interested in this A5 pamphlet of history which doubled in size to 8 pages in 1983.

Possibly health and safety also kicked in as the Coal became the limited Coal; complete the course and keep the bag, and it was out the door by 1984. The Wheelbarrow and Beer I think also disappeared, but the star of the Carnival was the first May Queen, aged 13, Amanda Hesser from Ullswater High School. And so it began.

The Carnivals were getting bigger. Sundays before the Bank Holiday Monday, included the Childrens’ sports day on the Foundry field and treasure hunts in the town, and inserted into the programme with the Events – at the time inserted to make it 10 pages, was details of concerts on the Friday before the weekend at the end of the 80s, with interesting choices of ink.

From the 90’s, everything was black and white for the programme, and it followed the same format. The prices soared in the early 90s from 20p to 25p and by 1999 it was 30p. The key pages generally remained; the Lions’ President’s opening, the May Queen presented with a photo, a ‘Who are the Lions?’ page and an important programme of events page. The Carnival was well established so why change?

As the Millennium dawned, 1st May 2000, the President, Malcolm Temple of the Lions’ Club Penrith 1999/2000 commemorated 25 years of ‘Lionism’ in Penrith. 2001 was a different story. It was all change as Foot and Mouth meant no May

Day Carnival. However, on Sunday 5th August 2001, the Lions were back! From 2002 it was doing what they did best. In 2017 the Carnival moved to another levela full colour programme celebrating the Lions Clubs around the world’s centenary, so the momentum of the event was great sailing through to 2019.

The rest you know, but 2023 is here and the programmes are on sale across the town now!

WISH LIST

The Hunt for Penrith Lions History

1974 - 2023

Do you have any of the following May Day Carnival Programmes?

Years required are 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996,1998, 2011, 2012, 2015

Do you have any May Day Carnival photos or Photos of other Penrith Lions Club events?

We need to borrow these so they can be copied and re created for future projects and our archives.

Thank you

Please email lee@edenfm.co.uk

Call 01768 862394

You can purchase your Penrith Lions Club 40th May Day Carnival programme at the following outlets

Penrith Building Society, 7 King Street, Penrith

Cowpers Chemist, 49 – 50 King Street, Penrith

Hospice at Home 3 Little Dockray, Penrith

Clarke’s Fusions 10 Little Dockray, Penrith

Arragons Cycles 2 Brunswick Road, Penrith

Richardson & Son, Timber Merchants, 10 Roper Street, Penrith

Style-Line Hair & Beauty, 26 Middlegate, Penrith

Eden 107

Finesse Jewellery & Bridal 40 Middlegate, Penrith

Penrith Tourism Information Centre, Middlegate, Penrith

The Pot Place, Plumpton, Penrith

Promoting

Carnival the

To Pre order your Penrith Lions programme now email lee@edenfm.co.uk Eden107.5