Bognor Regis Carnival: Back to the year Arun roller skaters returned triumphant

Roller skaters from the Arun district were crowned champions of the world on their return to the Bognor Regis Carnival 11 years ago. The Arun Roller Skater Club picked up where they had left off with a double triumph in the community event.

Its Skating Around the World float with some 30 members on board was judged the best overall entry in the parade as well as the best float. It brought together the red, white and blue of the American and British flags, and they expanded it to take into the national flags of other countries with a couple of large globes suspended above their display.

Two long-serving club members had taken their love of the sport to the Phillipines and Australia and David Bidwell, a club steward, led the creation of the float. The club donated its £100 winner’s cheque to the mayor’s charity, Samaritans, in keeping with the carnival spirit.

It had been approaching ten years since the club had previously took part in the carnival, though it was a frequent winner in the past. Mr Bidwell explained the break was because former chairman Alan Price had passed away and it was nice to be back and winning again.

The event itself had also taken a break for four years but it came back in 2009 thanks to Bognor Regis Town Council and the 2011 carnival was the first for ten years to feature as many as six floats among the 25 entries.

Their flags waving, music pounding and arms waving added vitality to the colour and noise of the spectacle for the thousands of onlookers between West Park and the Regis Centre car park watching in perfect weather as the entrants made full use of them for the theme of Colours of the World.

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