Volunteers Wanted To Support Ulverston Lantern Festival.
Volunteers are being sought to help support the Ulverston Lantern Festival, one of Cumbria’s most popular community events.
Organisers are appealing for people to come forward and work as stewards during the festival on Saturday, September 19, helping to keep the processions and thousands of spectators safe as the event takes over the town centre. Volunteers will be required from around 6.30pm until 10pm, when the crowds are expected to disperse and the temporary road closures are lifted.
Festival chair Chris Nelson said the event already has a strong team of volunteers involved in organising materials, developing the event plan, preparing lantern kits and supervising workshops. However, more people are particularly needed on the night itself to help with crowd safety. This year’s theme is “Dusk Till Dawn”, encouraging lantern makers to take inspiration from everything associated with the hours after dark.
The procession could feature designs inspired by owls, badgers, foxes and bats, alongside fantasy creations including ghosts, vampires and dragons. Moons, stars, planets and other imaginative designs are also expected to light up the streets.
Four processions will begin from different points around Ulverston at approximately 7pm, before coming together at County Square at around 8pm. The combined procession will then form the famous River of Light, winding through the town towards Ford Park. The evening will culminate in a firework finale at around 9pm.
The festival is a major community occasion and is run as a self funding event, with around £12,000 required each year to stage it. Funding comes largely from lantern kit sales and collections from spectators on the night, alongside support from local organisations and businesses.
Lantern kits are available for £6, while workshops will also be held during September to help residents create their own lanterns for the procession. Ulverston town centre will be closed to traffic between approximately 7pm and 10pm during the festival, with only emergency vehicles permitted through the official closures.
Anyone interested in volunteering as a steward can contact Chris Nelson on 07761 930627 or email the festival organisers. The organisers say volunteering offers people the chance to play an important role in one of the town’s biggest celebrations while helping ensure the event remains safe, welcoming and enjoyable for everyone.
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