Have you ever been Carnival Queen at Tenby’s Firemen’s Carnival?

If so, firefighter Lee Simmons, who is spearheading a centenary celebration of the event next year, would like to hear from you.

Explained Lee: “The carnival is entering its 99th year and work is being done with a focus on our centenary (2019) carnival book hopefully for sale to the public this year.

“I have had a recent meeting with the local author and printer and work is now starting to progress.

“We have received lots of interesting material and photographs so far, but we are still appealing for further pictures/anecdotes of past carnivals.”

Of particular interest are Carnival Queens and Princesses.

“We are hoping to include a section on past Carnival Queens/Princesses, so if there are anymore pictures anybody may have that we could use, as we only have a small collection of these, we would be most grateful.

“I’d also like to reassure the very kind people who have already provided me with pictures/information from past carnivals that their photos are kept safe and I will still need them for a little while longer.”

Continued Lee: “This year is the 99th carnival and it will be the start of the anniversary year.

“So far, the plans on the table for 2019 are to make the carnival as authentic as possible, bringing back past memories that can be incorporated into the carnival. We are looking to make a week of celebrations with support from local groups, to have a display of vintage fire appliances and create a mix of past/present into the parade, with walking classes of past decades, a possible carnival ball/dance, plus guess the weight of the pig, treasure island board and marching bands.

“We hope this will bring the town/community together. It’s just a snippet of the ideas we hope to discuss as we countdown to Wednesday, August 7, 2019.”

Lee added: “The big part of this, of course, is the generations of locals who have supported this event from the beginning, and as I say every year, without them we would not be able create such an iconic carnival.

“Let’s also not forget the fire service personnel going back generations, their families and people who over the years have raised thousands of pounds for a worthy cause, members of the public turning up in fancy dress costumes, donating vehicles giving up their time and everyone involved in the background in making it special.

“There are far too many people to mention individually, so please can we express our sincere gratitude to one and all over the many years who have contributed in any way on behalf of Tenby Fire Station, we thank you all very much.”

For the time being, Lee’s appeal is to find as many carnival photos of interest, information, any anecdotes or short stories related to previous carnivals over the past century that could be added in the book.

If sending anything to Lee, please could you include your name/address to ensure it’s returned to its rightful owner.

To contact Lee, e-mail him at [email protected] or Rhys Thomas at [email protected], call 01792 705160 (Pembrokeshire County Command Haverfordwest) or (01834) 842222 Tenby Fire Station (Tuesday between 6 and 9 pm) or find them on Facebook …. Tenby Fire Station.