It’s not every day that streets are strewn with rose petals.

To get the sun shining too for Wisbech Rose Fair is an added bonus.

The highlight of the annual Fair is a parade of decorated floats through the Fenland town, my home town, and I love the way it brings everyone into the streets to share in the fun, a community united, from excited children and proud parents,  to the disabled in wheelchairs and busloads of visitors transported in from many miles around. I counted around 20 floats and this is a great achievement today as so many parades have floundered due to lack of support, like the one which used to be held in Ely for the local hospital. The participants throw rose petals from the floats, and in return you are expected to hand over cash for local charities who benefit from this event.

I was on one of their parade float once with students from the Isle College. It was one of those moments I wanted to experience once, like being a bridesmaid. I think it’s the same for many of the young people from local schools, though it’s certainly not just for the young, but for the young-hearted who enjoy a carnival spirit.

I always admire the stunning floral arrangements at St Peter’s Church which adorn all its spare spaces, barring the pews. I wish I was accomplished in this art, and it certainly is a gift. The theme was Milestones, and I really enjoyed the arrangement based on Communications which I have included with this post.

Many of Wisbech’s historic buildings are open for Rose Fair, and there is one I wished I had visited, the Friends Meeting House, next to Peckover House, where Jane Stuart is buried, the illegitimate daughter of King James 11. And I have still to visit Octavia Hill’s birthplace, a crusading and extraordinary woman who was the co-founder of the National Trust.

Amazingly, there is so much still for me to discover in Wisbech.