Our One True Saxon project is progressing nicely, and we have a number of other corporate sponsorship/marketing campaigns under negotiation. We have just added a small fleet of hot dog trikes to our portfolio of attractions suitable for corporate branding.
The trikes, pictured below, can be decorated with a companies logo or brand identity, and then used to dispense anything from Burgers to cold drinks, or indeed leaflets or free product samples.


The bikes are available for one off events or for longer term campaigns and have large side panels ideal for carrying graphic displays to advertise a product or company.

For further details visit our corporate website

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ASTON CARNIVAL TOY BOX CLEVER FOR PARADE
The Toy Box Toddlers playgroup is hoping they won’t have to do the doggie paddle when they take part in this year’s Aston Carnival parade as the 101 Dalmatians.

The tiny tots are determined to show off their spotty costumes come rain or shine, as they prepare for the Aston Carnival, which is being held on Saturday August 11.

A marching band will be leading the ‘all welcome’ parade, which kicks off the carnival celebrations, leaving Swallownest Primary School at 12 noon and heading through the streets of Aston to the main arena at the village’s Lodge Lane playing fields.

Joining the Toy Box Toddlers in the parade will be Dinnington’s Air Cadets, the Stepping Out dancers and a group of vintage motorcycles, to name but a few of the event’s attractions. The main arena will also boast the Jason Moody funfair and the Phoenix Falconry display team, as well as a junior five-aside football tournament.

Karen Lyons, one of Aston Carnival’s organisers and co-founder of the Toy Box Toddlers, said: “Not even the torrential rain of late could dampen the kids’ enthusiasm for the carnival parade. They love the Dalmatian theme and are really excited to be taking part – we all are. I have every confidence that this year’s parade is going to be better than ever and that Aston Carnival will be a huge hit, whatever the weather!”

Aston Carnival brings together people from Aston, Swallownest, Fence and Aughton. It also enjoys strong support from local businesses and sponsors include Somerfield, Tilen Electrics, Elite Design Studio, Aston and Aughton Post Offices and Godfrey’s Gardens. This year’s proceeds will be donated to local charities, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and Safe@Last.

Issued: 24.7.2007

For further information, please contact Nina Milthorpe at CORNER PR
Tel: 01246 432 915 Fax: 01246 432 935 Email: nina@corner-pr.co.uk
The Old Saw Mill, 105 Hague Lane, Renishaw, Sheffield S21 3UR



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This has been a hectic week, we started on Sunday at Crayke near York, tuesday saw us in Leeds for the HSBC event and simultaneously in Manchester, Thursday at Lincoln and Sunday at the National Coal Mining Museum for England and the Lovebox festival for the One True Saxon promotion. At the HSBC event Arthur spent most of the time asleep i the van, although to be fair to him, he had to get up at 5 am, and the shock of discovering there is more than one 5 o'clock each day affected him badly.




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The weather that we are currently enduring is having a devastating effect on the funfair industry as a whole. Some operators haven't managed to actually attend a fair for over a month, if this carries on a large part of the industry is going to find it hard to make it through the summer. In contrast we are having the best year we have ever experienced. We have altered our operation around entirely so that over 90% of our workload is now corporate events, where we are paid to attend. This means that when the heavens open up as they seem to do every day, we are insulated from the worst of the effects.

After our misadventures in the mud at Crayke, I repaired the winch and re routed the control wire well away from the winch rope. The event we attended on Thursday in Lincoln was at a primary school for children with behavioural problems. The teacher we were dealing with told me not to worry as they had quite a high staff/pupil ration and plenty of teachers would be on hand to deal with the kids. To be truthful, I was more worried by the fact that we had to cross 3 football fields to reach the school entrance, and there weren't any natural anchor points to use the winch for self recovery.

The event kicked off at 1pm and was due to continue until 3. The kids were absolutely fine and everyone seemed to have a good time, until at 2pm the heavens once again opened up and we suffered an hours torrential downpour. All I could think about was the fact that the vehicle we had there was due to be in London the next day for a 2 day music festival (part of our One True Saxon promotion), and the helter skelter was due to be erected at the National Coal Mining museum, one of the corporate clients that we have built a long term relationship up with. As it turned out I needn't have worried. We set off through the gate at speed and the vehicle/helter skelter made it safely to the tarmac surface of the access road.




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With the unbelievable amount of rain we have been experiencing, many of the venues we attend have been turned into mud baths. More than once we have had to enlist the assistance of large 4 wheel drive tractors to recover kit from quagmires that we have found ourselves in. We have just attended Crayke gala with our helter skelter and Victorian swing boats. The ground felt quite firm during the site inspection, but as soon as we pulled onto the cricket pitch we sunk. I wasn't too worried as we had just acquired a demountable winch for exactly this sort of situation. Fitting the winch to the front of our smaller Foden transport unit we discovered a flaw in our planning, we didn't have enough wire rope to reach the anchor point and double back to the winch with a snatch block (A pulley system used to double the power of the winch). I didn't think the winch would pull us uphill using only a single line pull, but we had no choice but to try.

Routing the control lead into the cab to allow me to drive and winch I pushed the button. To my surprise we began to move slowly forward up the hill. I was well impressed, right up until the point where the control cable caught the winch line and was dragged into the drum of the winch, being instantly crushed, causing an electrical short which promptly burnt the control solenoids out in a cloud of smoke! We ended up having to bring in a large 4 wheel drive tractor and be towed out. I now have the job of putting the winch to rights ready for a visit to Lincoln on Thursday where we may well need it again.

Dodgems For Hire For Any Event

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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are a necessary evil, without them the cowboys would really take the mick and cut corners wherever and whenever possible. A recent incident however made me realise just how frightened people are becoming of them. During the Newcastle Hoppings funfair, my daughter along with most other kids at the event attend an onsite school, specially set up to enable them to continue their education whilst the fair is in progress. The fair this year was extremely muddy, so my wife walked our daughter to school both in their wellingtons. On arriving at the school my wife told the teacher she had brought a clean pair of shoes so that our daughter didn't spread mud over the floor and "make it slippy". Unfortunately, the day before my wife had purchased a raincoat from an on site vendor selling surplus clothing. This raincoat had in small letters (about 1 inch tall), the emblem HSE embroidered on the front. Within a couple of hours my wife heard a rumour that the Health and Safety executive were threatening to close the school.

On returning to the school at lunch time, my wife was greeted by Albert Austin, the fairground manager. He anxiously explained that they had covered the floor of the schoolroom in cardboard to prevent any injuries from slips and would she like to inspect it to make sure it was safe! Explaining that she had nothing to do with the HSE saw everyone breath a sigh of relief. The point is, the panic induced by 3 tiny letters on a surplus raincoat was out of all proportion, the HSE has a serious problem if it is spreading fear and panic on this scale by the mere mention of its name. No wonder childrens playgrounds are being closed and carnivals cancelled due to health and safety fears.


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All night raves are something I never seemed to find the time to attend. Well I have just reached home from my first one. The event was the Wild In The Country festival at Knebsworth House just off junction 7 of the A1. We had been hired by a clothing company called One True Saxon, to run a promotion using one of our games units. The festival goers were allowed a free game on our shooting gallery, after which they recieved branded prizes depending on how well they had shot. The event was spoiled a bit by the heavy rain which turned it into a mud bath, although not one on the same scale as Newcastle Hoppings which we had to travel to straight from Knebworth.




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