Toowoomba organisations awarded grants to help form their flower floats

Toowoomba organisations have been awarded grants from Heritage bank to help form their flower floats ahead of Carnival of Flowers grand parade.

It’s the event that stops and unites the city, and this year the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Grand Central Floral Parade will be more fantastic and floral than ever, after 14 community groups received support grants sponsored by Heritage Bank.

Abigail Harbort in the Carnival of Flowers parade in 2019.

Event partner Grand Central centre manager Claire Torkington said all eyes would be on the Grand Central Floral Parade this year, given Covid-19 last year caused the beloved celebration to be re-imagined as a static parade.

“We’re all so excited to welcome back one of the highlights of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers in the Grand Central Floral Parade, with thousands of families expected to line the streets to watch the colour go by,” she said.

This year the parade will be held on Saturday, September 18 with a much earlier start time of 10am, allowing crowds to enjoy a full day of shopping, sightseeing and adventuring in our city.

Announcing the Carnival of Flowers Parade grant recipients (from left) Julie Thompson, Grand Central Shopping Centre with Cr James O'Shea from Toowoomba Regional Council and Andrew Fox from Heritage Bank.

Fourteen community groups have received a support grant sponsored by Heritage Bank for their parade floats to cover design, decorations, artwork and presentation.

Nerrida Wolfe, disability program co-ordinator for Life Without Barriers said receiving the grant meant the organisation could make their float the best it could be, reflecting the LWB values of being respectful, building relationships, being responsive, being imaginative and being courageous.

“This grant means our clients are able to be involved in the parade, as Life Without Barriers is a not-for-profit organisation, and our clients are on disability pensions.

“It gives them the opportunity to showcase their creativity, personalities and self-expression in helping to work on the theme and design for the float,” she said.

“In celebrating the values of LWB, we have chosen the theme Emerging Landscape and are creating beautiful butterflies, and we plan to repurpose as many of the items and costumes as we can, to create an event later in the year – a Butterfly Ball.”

At the announcement of the Carnival of Flowers Parade grants (from left) Cr James O'Shea, Julie Thompson from Grand Central Shopping Centre, Jamie Smith from Rotary Club of Toowoomba Metropolitan and Andrew Fox from Heritage Bank.

Jamie Smith from the Rotary Club of Toowoomba Metropolitan said the grant had enabled the club to adorn its float with fresh flowers.

“Last year we were restricted to paper flowers, and while they had a certain visual impact, there is nothing quite like the real thing, and we couldn’t do it without the grant,” he said.

“Adorning a float with flowers in spring. You just can’t get any better than that.”

Community groups receiving the grants include the Darling Downs Irish Club Inc (DDIC), Victory Life Toowoomba, Tony’s Community Kitchen Ltd, Toowoomba Malayali Association, Falun Dafa Association of Australia QLD Branch Inc., Carnival Past Quest Queens, QCWA Darling Downs Division, Rotary Club of Toowoomba Metropolitan, Oakey Chamber of Commerce, Chiselhurst Kindergarten Association Inc., Toowoomba City Rollers Inc., The Scout Association of Australia QLD Branch Inc., Life Without Barriers and the Downs Steam Historical Rail Museum.