A JUDGING mix-up ruined a gala parade for more than 30 youngsters whose day was dampened by more than just the rain.

Children aged from four to eleven spent seven months building their wooden float for the procession at Thornton Cleveleys centenary gala day.

But when the awards were handed out, a blunder led to the second prize winners at Royles Brook school in Thornton missing out on their certificate.

Parents were horrified as the parade wound its way through Thornton while its retinue tried hard to smile through their disappointment.

Upset parent Gillian Beswick said: "They had looked forward to the day for months and half of them were crying. We had to resort to running in front of the float making faces to get them all to smile.

"But they were heartbroken. The parents knew the float deserved to win a prize and when none came, the children all thought they were not getting one.

"We tried to explain to them and did our best to cheer them up but it's hard to do that when you have 34 children all feeling crushed.

"The whole parade was spoiled - it was disgraceful."

The youngsters had dressed in old-fashioned attire to mark the 100th year of the gala which has been a feature in Thornton Cleveleys since 1898, while the parents had helped build a 'time wall' to commemorate the centenary.

Two hours after the parade began, explained Mrs Beswick, of Bowness Avenue, Thornton - whose eight-year-old daughter Alison was among the youngsters - a judge caught up with the float to hand over the second prize certificate.

She said: "It was too late by then, the damage had been done.

"It rained on the day - but this was a lot worse than that."

Judges' co-ordinator Diane Whitworth said the rain had caused havoc with the launch arrangements for the procession and had contributed to the confusion that resulted in the mix-up.

She said: "It was dreadful day, it was absolutely pouring down and we just could not get to all the floats.

"Cars were blocking the route and one of the floats got judged in the wrong category.

"It was all a bit of a mix-up.

"I did explain all this to them and went to see them personally to hand over the certificate."

A spokesman for the PTFA said all the children involved would be getting individual certificates which were being prepared this week to make up for their experience.

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