It didn’t rain on their parade – despite the forecast – but clouds are gathering with a warning that lack of support will wash the event from the calendar. Gala chairman Ronnie Collins said, “We’re going to have an AGM on Monday 21st September, at 7pm in the community centre, and if we don’t get any new faces coming to help then the gala will fold.

“It’s the bairns that will suffer. We had so many people coming up to us on the day to say, ‘Well done’ and ‘What a great job’, but if they want it next year then we need more bodies.” He added, “I don’t think most people realise what’s involved.

“For a small village gala you need between £5000 and £6000 and you have to do a lot of fund-raising during the year, no-one hands you money for nothing these days.

“I’ve been doing it for 10 years and the committee put a lot of work, time and effort into it but we need parents to step forward to keep it going.

“If they don’t take part they’re letting the children down, that’s the be-all and end-all.” The gala day started on Saturday with a procession from Burnbank to Carnock Community Centre.

A great deal of effort had obviously gone into the children’s fancy dress costumes with a range of colourful characters brightening up the parade.

And there were plenty of other attractions with quad bikes, inflatables, slides and a wee train offering rides to little ones; ponies, Highland dancers, a gymnastics display from Spartans and music from Drumatik, the West Fife community drumming group largely made up of adults with learning disabilities.

Ronnie said, “There was a wee panic when the pipe band cancelled but we managed to get another one at just a day’s notice.

“The East Wemyss Pipe Band really helped us out – a parade’s not the same without a pipe band – so we were very grateful to them.

“We also had a lot of different stalls, you have to have something for the adults, and the big tombola is always very popular.

“We do make money on the day but it’s never enough to fund the gala for the next year.” He continued, “We had eight people on the committee this year and five have said they’re going to step down.

“I’ve run it with four people before but I’m not prepared to do that again.

“There’s no shortage of people in the two villages and we need parents to volunteer and join the committee.”