Well, what a year it's turning out to be, and we have been very very busy here at Nightingales Care!
So, what have we been up to, you ask? Well... we had the absolute pleasure to take part in the Bognor Regis Carnival!
The theme was Flower Power - Summer of Love, and oh my did Bognor Regis turn up for the occasion.
The event was organised by the brilliant Bognor Regis Carnival Association, and everything ran smoothly.
A great day for all, families and and adults alike, the day began with a bright and vibrant parade along the esplanade as local businesses and organisations arrived and began to decorate their floats and processions.
The atmosphere was electric! We all couldn't resist taking a wander up and down the road to take in everyone's hard work. The road was an exciteable buzz of brightly decorated costumes, floats and vehicles. Everybody had worked incredibly hard!
We had spent the days prior to the Carnival decorating our own trusty Nightingales Care company car, as we did for the Carnival in 2023. Our fingers were burned from hot glue, our backs aching from sticking the entire garden to pieces of astro turf and to the car itself, but it was a whole lot of fun!
We were especially pleased with our efforts this year. Kez in particular, with the large flower-adorned peace sign that was his "magnum opus".
Made simply of pool noodles, 1,500 small flowers that were hand clipped and glued on individually, then cleverly mounted by Kez and Gary, this certainly was a bit of an eye-catcher as we drove past.
We definitely got a fair amount of strange looks as we made our way to the esplanade from the office, that morning!
(Who saw us, eh? )
The Parade kicked off with the procession following the marching band, following the rhythm of their loud drums. Ahead of us were large floats with groups dancing, waving and living their best lives. (Speaking of living their best lives, Kez danced the entire length of the parade carrying a large portable speaker! He was exhausted afterwards!)
The entire Nightingales Care team that were there for the day were absolutely fantastic, of course. Adorned in bright costumes, we danced and waved and boogied our way along the parade route, clapping and singing and even shaking our tambourines! We handed out lollipops and stickers to grinning children and happy families as we proceeded to make our way toward West Park - giving a loud cheer as we passed our office on the Aldwick Road. (Our mannequin, Florence, was waiting quietly in the window for us, bless her!)
And then, we were soon at West Park where the event continued. We danced, laughed, joked and had an overall fantastic day.
A giant thank you to the Bognor Regis Carnival Association for having us! Same time next year?