After an absence of 16 years, it's as if they had never been away. Thousands turned out to support the Oswaldtwistle Carnival, first lining the route as the parade proceeded down Union Road from their Vine Mill starting point, terminating at the Civic Centre, then at Rhyddings Park for all the festivities.

There were local bands and artists including the East Lancashire Concert Band, The Itch, David and James, Callum Thomas and Reece Bibby. Dance groups included Sandersons Dance, Talent Dance School, EL Cheerleaders and JMS Dance School.

There was a Coconut Shy, Puppet Show, Beat the Goalie and much more.

Local shows were also represented, including The Accrington Pals, a play which can be seen at Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre in October and Mount Carmel's production of The Wizard of Oz. Bright sunshine and warm temperatures complemented what was a wonderful day with lots of happy faces. In short, the perfect setting for the return of an old favourite. All this was organised by a small committee. Please read more below.

The streets were packed as Oswaldtwistle Carnival returned after a 16 year absence with temperatures over 20°c bringing out families in their droves.

Gayle Knight, who was part of the committee that helped to bring the carnival back to life said:

"It was a huge success. It was amazing; the sun shone for us and more than 3,500 people came out to support us.

"Everything went smoothly; we had 25 groups walking in the procession and the streets were lined with crowds of people.  We couldn't have asked for anything else, all our hard work over the past few months has really paid off.
"A small team of people planned this event together, we were like a well-oiled machine and things worked out well."

Gayle said it was great to see so many people in Rhyddings park enjoying the carnival.