SMASHING CARNIVAL !  

Helmdon carnival lived up to its record-breaking theme when kung fu pro Paul Drummond smashed his way through 100 concrete slabs.

Paul, from Banbury, was suspended by his shoulders and calves while a team of six strongmen placed the blocks on his stomach and attacked them with a sledgehammer.  The stunt, which took seven minutes and 23 seconds to complete, won Paul his record back after it had been beaten by a 70-stab total.

The float procession was won by Helmdon Women’s Club with the theme of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap – the world’s longest running play.

Carnival organizer Paul Underwood said: ”We don’t know quite how much we’ve raised yet but we believe it will be approximately £4,500.  The cash will be split between buying a foetal heart monitor for Horton Hospital, sports schemes and the Village Hall Fund.

Probable Banbury or Brackley newspaper

1993