Cumbernauld’s Fun in the Park hailed a huge success

Cumbernauld’s Fun in the Park had all the entertainment you could wish for last weekend, and a little bit extra.

An estimated 5000 people descended on Craighalbert Quarry for the annual fun day, which has grown from strength to strength over the past four years.

The day was organised by the Friends of Cumbernauld Community Park, who are a small organisation relying solely on the help of volunteers.

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However, despite their limited numbers and resources, the group still managed to treat visitors to stage performances from acts such as Clann an Drumma, local artists, an eclectic array of stalls, games and the finalists from Cumbernauld’s Got Talent.

This was the first year of CGT and anticipation for the final had been gathering in the weeks building up to the event.

However, on the day audience members complained and claimed the event was marred by confusion over the judging process and were upset that the finalists did not compete on the day.

Organiser Helen Macindoe said: “At the very beginning we wanted to have 10 finalists, but the acts were so good that we had 13.

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“We invited them to perform at FITP and told them that the judges’ decision would have already been made by the final day.

“Some judges couldn’t make it on the day, the running of the event is subject to good weather and there’s always the chance that some people can’t make it so the only fair way was to have the judges decide before FITP.

“All the contestants were made aware of this and a further email was sent out explaining the judging process.

The winner named on the day couldn’t actually make it because she was ill with tonsillitis, but we were already at the park before we received her correspondence, and therefore at the time of the announcement, we didn’t know what was wrong.

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“I can see where the confusion would come from, but all contestants were made aware of the judging process. We wanted CGT to be about giving people in the town a chance to perform to thousands of people and I hope it will be remembered for that.”

Overall, the day was hailed as a big success. Friends member, Iona McKellar-Bruce said: “It was a brilliant day. We got a bit of luck with the weather, and people just kept coming. Fun in the Park started off small and now it’s grown arms and legs. We’re really happy about that and we thank everyone who came.”

Cumbernauld’s Got Talent, final results:

Under 16: Runner up - Karly Donald; Winner - Caiomhe Smith

Over 16: Runner up - Laura Ferguson; Winner - Nicole Simpson

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