BANBURY'S annual canal day on October 1 promises to be the best yet - and to add further interest to the event, details of a special competition, with superb prizes, will be in next week's Banbury Cake.

The canal day will be packed with entertainment for people of all ages. It will start at 10am and continue until 4.30pm and will be held on both sides of the waterway alongside the bus station, Castle Quay, Banbury Museum, and Hurrans.

  • Banbury and District Canoe Club will be at the rear of the bus station to run a regatta for schoolchildren, who will receive coaching and get the chance to take part in time trials. A celebrity from the world of canoeing will put in an appearance.
  • Charity stalls, voluntary groups, and local clubs will be outside Castle Quay, looking for support and help with fundraising.
  • A water taxi will provide rides up and down the canal from the rear of Woolworths to Sovereign Wharf near Hurrans. The fare for adults will be 50p.
  • Main sponsors Karcher will be near the swing bridge, near Tooley's Boatyard, demonstrating their products.
  • Tooley's will be open with demonstrations of wool spinning, fender making, stationary steam engine displays, and a blacksmith will be plying his trade.
  • Local artists will be 'under the boardwalk' with their works of art.
  • On the Cherwell Plaza will be Tom Rose's bouncy castle, funfair rides, and the fire engines of the Banbury fire and rescue service.
  • An Italian market with trade and craft stalls will occupy the Castle Quay south car park.
  • Hook Norton Brewery's beer tent, traditional dance teams, and more trade and craft stalls will be in the Compton Road car park, opposite Hurrans.
  • The Sovereign Walk boatyard will be open for services for passing boats, and as a stopping off/boarding point for the water taxi. Signwriting, boat decorating, and a vintage tractor parade will provide extra attractions.
  • Spiceball Park will contain an awards-for-all marquee, falconry display, horse and cart rides, and Wilson's funfair.
  • At 3.30pm, from the park, a "children's wildlife on our canal" procession, with youngsters carrying banners and wearing masks, will make its way around the site.
  • Entertainment on the quayside will include Punch and Judy, balloon modelling, street performers, and an open-air service conducted by the Boaters Christian Fellowship. Local historian Brian Little will host walks along the towpath, highlighting some of the town's heritage.
  • General Food's Social Club garden will be the stage for a folk concert, and also the base for the Red Cross first aid tent. The winner of the '"wildlife on the canal" competition will be announced there at 4pm.
  • Banbury Museum will host a children's canal collage workshop, a giant snakes and ladders game, and talks by wildlife expert Graham Soden at 11am and 2pm.
  • The Mill Arts Centre's bar, cafe, and gallery will be open from 10am to 5pm, and special attractions there will include making a wildlife mural, puppet-making, and West African drumming performances and workshops.

The Banbury Cake competition next week will be a treasure hunt for all ages. We will ask the questions and entrants will have to follow the route to find the answers. Special family prizes will be up for grabs.