Karen is the queen of the Flimby carnival

Some might find it hard to know the difference, but Nathan has grown up in a family proud to live in Flimby and keen to see it thrive.

Karen is a partner to Mark and mother to Nathan and Demi-Jade.She is also a grandmother, devoted to her first grandchild, Nathan’s daughter Lyla.

She holds down a full time job at BCMS in Workington.

What makes her the person of the week is her the way she worked - and succeeded in getting the Flimby Children’s Carnival up and running again

Karen’s parents, Ann and the late Cyril Ostle, helped keep the carnival going until, like many others, it folded because of a lack of helpers and entries.Their children had enjoyed the excitement of being on a float in gorgeous costumes.Karen, her children and generations before had beren involved with the Flimby carnival in a tradition lasting over 70 years.

Within the wider family, Ann’s relatives had seen four and even five generations of children who had thrilled to the excitement on offer.

The carnival may have ended for good, until Karen’s son announced that he was to become a father.

Karen said: “As soon as I heard Nathan was going to become a father, I was planning a float that my first grandchild - boy or girl - could be on,”

And so the carnival was reborn in 2017andLyla, now four, has been working to keep it going ever since.

She had the full support of her family. The death of Cyril, earlier this year, was a blow but she continued to work to make a success of the day.

Karen and her committee have extended the carnival to include a scarecrow competition and a fun day after. The fun day includes live music and entertainment for adults and children alike. The introduction of low cost wristbands to give free access to much of the entertainment keeps the cost down, too.

Karen admits that she could not save the carnival without her family, the committee and her trusty sidekick and co-organiser Jen Graham