3 May 2008 - Petts Wood May Queen Parade

Bank Holiday Saturdays are not best known for their good weather but we were blessed with sunshine for the Petts Wood May Queen Parade. Kettle Bridge led the procession through the town with the May Queen and mini-attendants close behind. Click here to see the video!

As we passed under the railway bridge, Alan made best use of the acoustics to check that the bass drum was still working. Shortly after, Val suffered an equipment malfunction when she lost her marbles (or was it bells?). Undeterred, she continued to lead the way.

On reaching the Memorial Hall, we stopped for well-deserved and much-needed refreshments kindly provided by the organisers. After the May Queen ceremony in the garden, the crowd joined us in the hall to see a few more dances. These proved very popular especially with the young children. Kettle Bridge in full swing is always an impressive sight. As usual, the final dance was the “all-in” Churchtown featuring some of the local constabulary who had earlier done an excellent job of clearing the processional path. Click here for more footage. An arresting performance by the Copper Kettle Bridge Clogs! Time to stop, I think.