Carnival Queen selected for Village Carnival

Posted on May 1, 2009

Charlotte Nilsen has been chosen to reign as Carnival Queen for the St Marys Village Carnival on Edlesborough Green on Saturday 4 July. Supporting her will be princess Shauna Lugsden assisted by Elise Christie and Rebecca Riley. The Carnival will be a celebration of the Best of Rural England and organisers hope to beat last year's record sum of £12,000 for local charities.

This year's main beneficiary of the carnival funds will be the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Luton and Dunstable hospital which cares for premature and critically ill babies. It is the lead centre for neonatal care for the whole of Beds and Herts. The hospital is building a brand new NICU this year at a cost of £7 million to help meet the high level of demand . Money raised at the carnival will go towards the purchase of life saving medical equipment fo r the new expanded unit.

Sarah Newby, Appeals and Fundraising Manager at the Hospital said: "We are delighted that the carnival has chosen to support our NICU Appeal this year. The new unit needs additional life saving equipment and we already care for 600 babies each year in the neonatal unit. We wish the carnival every success and please be assured that any money raised will help us by equipment to save even more precious lives."