A huge carnival and parade, organised by a local arts organisation, will take place on 26 March to celebrate the story of the Mayor of Longton in the mid-1880s.

John Aynsley, born in 1823, was elected as Mayor in 1886 and most famously, won the land for Queen's Park by driving a pig into Longton. 

The Strand, Longton, will be closed for the event (Urban Wilderness CIC).

The Pig Walk Parade will travel through The Strand, led by a giant pig puppet, with music from local musician Danny Shaw, costumes made in a pop-up shop led by Deb Rogers, and school children and performance groups will dance in the street. 

There will also be free entertainment from 11am in Longton Exchange, including performances from Trentham Brass Band and Frontline Dance, as well as market stalls by Castle Artisan, charity stalls and facepainting. 

Workshops have taken place over the past few weeks for people to create props for the parade (Urban Wilderness CIC).

Isla Telford, from organisers Urban Wilderness, told Stoke Nub News: "We've been working in Longton for around four years and people always talk about the carnivals that used to happen until the early 1990s, people always remember it being a really big event and it was seen as a symbol of community. 

"For the past year or so we've been trying to figure out how to find a way to make the carnival happen. We got funding through Stoke-on-Trent City Council and then through Arts Council England and we wanted it to be an event that meant something to Longton so we wanted to tell a heritage story.

"We then found the story of John Aynsley, who won a bet that he couldn't drive a pig into Longton and so won the land to build Queen's Park. 

"I really hope that this is the start and we will be able to bring it back and do it every year and work with more people in the community."

The parade will be led by a huge pig puppet, inspired by the story of John Aynsley (Urban Wilderness CIC).

Chris Ward, manager of Longton Exchange, said: "We've got street food and an artisan market, family rides, entertainment from Trentham Brass Band and SCDC school of dance, all leading up to this Pig Walk parade. It's going to be a great day and we're looking forward to welcoming visitors to show them what Longton has to offer." 

Jack Brereton MP told Stoke Nub News: "I look forward to as many people as possible joining the Longton Carnival and Pig Walk Parade with a carnival led procession and the various events and stalls taking place throughout the town. This is going to be a great event for residents and families as an opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy ourselves. 

"I am very excited to be attending and would like to thank Urban Wilderness and all the volunteers for working with Longton to get the Carnival and Pig Walk Parade together. The event is a fun way of celebrating our heritage with the story of Longton Mayor John Aynsley and his historic contribution to our local area and community through his comical means of fundraising."

The event will close The Strand between 2pm and 3pm on Sunday 26th March. 

For information or queries contact Urban Wilderness on [email protected], Facebook or Twitter.

READ MORE: Owners confirm Longton's newest coffee shop will be open by Friday

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