MILFORD HAVEN ROUND TABLE is celebrating 60 years since they were first formed with some exciting plans for 2020 including a new look Carnival.

On 3rd March 1960 a group of 28 young men from the town met at The Lord Nelson Hotel and were granted their Charter by The National Association of Round Table of Great Britain & Ireland with Mr Taylor, a Milford Fish Merchant, being elected as the first Chairman. Today, the Table is one of the most active and fastest growing in the UK with 17 members and a strong contingent of ex-Tablers who still give up their free time to be a part of the group.

Chairman Ellis Thorne commented; “2019 has been a great year and I am so proud of everything we have achieved as a volunteer group of Milford lads. The Carnival was huge, I was amazed by the size of the crowds on the streets and bringing Britain’s Got Talent stars Reggie & Bollie to the Carnival field was the highlight for me! Then we had the Beer Festival which was crazy! Around 3,000 people visited during the day with over 4,000 pints of ale and cider, 1,000 glasses of prosecco and 10 hours of live music being enjoyed in the sunshine! In November the free-entry Firework Display attracted over 7,000 people to what was another great display with some great live music too. The year was finally wrapped up with the annual visit of Father Christmas. We spent 4 nights bringing a little bit of festive cheer to the towns kids, all the lads love this event every year! We’ve worked hard but it’s all so worth it!”

Adrian Cook will take over as Chairman in April and has some exciting plans for the year ahead with the annual Carnival receiving a face-lift; “For the last few years the Carnival has grown in size and is now such a huge day in the town. We’ve been thinking about how we can help it to keep growing and the obvious thing that needs to happen is for the Carnival procession to return to Charles Street! There are so many great local businesses along the street that would really love to be a part of the day and we hope that we can bring the spirit of the Carnival to the town centre once again. We’ve also faced some challenges fitting everything that we would like on the Carnival field so we’re also delighted to announce that the procession will finish at it’s new home on Milford Waterfront where we can accommodate a great funfair, charity stalls, entertainment arena and loads of fun for all the family!”

President of the Table Mark Khan says he is excited about how this new look will transform the Carnival; “This is the biggest community event in the town’s calendar, possibly even the County, and we want to make sure it keeps getting bigger and better. So many people have asked us to look at Charles Street being a part of the route and to keep growing the activities and entertainment on the Field – with what we have planned we can do all of it! Our thanks also go to the team at Milford Waterfront who really do get behind everything we do and offer so much support!”

Charles Street, Milford Haven – Carnival Day – July 5, 1986

Milford Haven Carnival will be held on Saturday 4th July with no set theme. However, for the first year there will be a prize awarded for the entry that best tells the story of Milford Haven so think along the lines of the Vikings, Quakers, Fishing, Oil & Gas and the Waterway. Entry forms are available by contacting any Tabler or via the Milford Haven Round Table Facebook page.

Milford Haven Round Table says it is always on the lookout for new members so if you are aged below 45 and would like to help make a difference in the town then get in touch via Facebook.