Diary References
In mum’s 1976 diary, I came across a reference to something called SNAP 76. On 2 June, when mum was feeling depressed and had been cross with my siblings, Malcolm Carter suggested she go with his wife Christine to the Scope – Snap 76 – Festival Choir at St Andrew’s Hall which she did, see Chapters 114 and 122.
Radio 1 Road Show
A few days earlier, on 31 May 1976, mum noted that Liz and I had gone to Earlham Park. I noted that Caroline Douglas also went and that it was a “sort of fête“. This included jousting, a donkey derby, rides and stalls and the main attraction was that the Radio 1 Road Show was there and on air from 10-2. While I did not explicitly link this to SNAP 76, I did recently find a news cutting which described it as the major event of the SNAP 76 programme.
Limited Information
I struggled to establish exactly what SNAP 76 was. From the press archive held at Norfolk Heritage Centre at Norwich Library, I did also find a captioned press photo from June 1976 which featured the Bridgwater Folk Dance Club performing in Hay Hill. Although this did not explain what the festival was, the performance was part of SNAP 76.
The main problem was that the archive at the Heritage Centre is not searchable. So, it is only possible to find information if it relates to a specific date or if you stumble across it serendipitously.
Norwich Remembers
In order to try to find out more, in December 2025, I asked if anyone knew anything about SNAP 76 on the Norwich Remembers Facebook group. Unusually, I did not receive any comments.
Newspapers.com
More recently, I discovered that it is possible to access archives of both the Eastern Daily Press and the Eastern Evening News through newspapers.com. This is readily searchable and the following information is from there.
A 12-Day Event
SNAP 76 was a 12-day event starting on Wednesday 26 May 1976. It was launched by the Lord Mayor of Norwich, Raymond Frostick, at a civic lunch at Blackfriars’ Hall. It was organised by the Norwich Junior Chamber of Commerce with the amenities division of the city council and the East Anglia Tourist Board.
The Name
The name, symbol and logo for the event came from Snap the Dragon. Apparently, a dragon was a main feature of the Guild Day procession in medieval Norwich. So, the idea was to use the festival to revive the procession of the snap dragon which had last happened in 1951. Apparently, the festival’s slogan was “please don’t make the current economic climate an excuse for putting off your decision – snap out of this mood of gloom and join us at SNAP 76“.
Planning
Apparently, the festival had taken five years to plan since it was first suggested by Harry Boreham of Eastern Counties Newspapers in 1971. The previous year, in May 1975, the outgoing president of the Norwich Junior Chamber of Commerce, Brian Lewis, said that SNAP 76 could be the biggest festival of its kind ever held in the city. Events planned included a pop or jazz festival, a medieval fayre, a brass band contest, a drama festival, a grand procession, a swimming gala and an “It’s a Knockout” competition. Planning was co-ordinated by a SNAP 76 management committee chaired by Harry Jacobs.
Articles in the run-up to the festival identified a number of challenges faced by the organising committee included fundraising in a difficult economic environment and rises in parking charges.
Programme
A summary programme of activities was published in the local press at the end of April 1976. There were some pre-festival events with the formal launch at a civic lunch on 26 May 1976. A full programme of activities was to be published on 25 May 1976. Some activities, such as a proposed river carnival, had to be scaled back because of lack of support.
Special Edition
On 25 May 1976, a special edition of the Eastern Evening News served as a programme for SNAP 76. This contained quite a number of adverts tailored specifically to the festival.
Other Programmes
Other programmes were also printed on other days in the local press.
Activities
Some of the festival’s activities that were reported in the press are summarised here. There were also a wide range of activities including musical performances, films, sports activities, competitions and a range of fundraising events. Based on a review of daily activities in the full programme, activities as part of SNAP 76 included meals (2), concerts (12), story reading (1), religious activities (1), competitions (7), tours (5), films (4), exhibitions (3), sporting activities (8), dancing (4), fayres and carnivals (3), procession (1), market (1), puppet show (2), theatre performances (1), walks (4), coffee morning (1) and beer festival (1).
Procession
The Lord Mayor, Raymond Frostick, led a procession on Saturday 28 May 1976. There were some problems with his horse-drawn coach and he and his family abandoned it to join Miss SNAP, Patricia Boaden, in a following car. The procession was from Chapelfield Gardens to The Close. It was reported to be the first such street procession for 25 years.
Miss SNAP
Miss SNAP was chosen in a “personality competition” organised by Garlands. She won a £75 wardrobe of clothes from the store.
Fancy Dress Competition
Taking part in the procession were children who had been in the “Be a Beast” fancy dress competition organised by the Norfolk and Norwich Books for Children Group. The competition had been judged earlier in Chapelfield Gardens by Miss SNAP. Winners were four-year old Ruth Layland and ten-year old Charlotte Carlton. There was also a writing competition under the same theme.
Town Crier Competition
A town crier competition was held as part of SNAP 76. There were a number of heats with heat winners going through to the final.
Balloon Race
There was a balloon race as part of SNAP 76 and the winning balloon travelled over 300 miles to Unkel in West Germany.
Crazy Craft River Race
Although plans for a river carnival had had to be scaled back, there was a crazy raft race from Carrow Bridge to Pull’s Ferry. It was organised by Colman Foods’ Carrow Yacht Club. The prize for the most original and eyecatching effort was won by a jungle hut creation entered by 54th Signals Regiment of the TAVR. The first home was a Norwich Life Guards raft.
Cycle Race
A continental-style professional cycle race was held on Sunday 30 May 1976. This involved 24 of Britain’s top professional cyclists. The race was won by Phil Corley with John McMillan second and Alan Williams third. Earlier schoolboy races were won by Terry Taylor and Stephen Bilner in the under- and over-14s categories respectively.
Midnight Races
On Friday 28 May 1976, four midnight races were held. These included a 130-yard dash along Gentleman’s Walk for women and then men and two round-the castle races also for women and then men.
Exhibition of Fire Fighting
An exhibition of fire fighting was held at the fire station on Bethel Street. It was opened by Miss SNAP and organised by Station Officer Trevor Clarke. Twelve fire appliances were on display with the latest dating back to 1672.
Template for Future Processions
It seems that the SNAP 76 procession was used as a template for future processions, such as for the Queen’s silver jubilee the following year.
Other Benefits
Another benefit of SNAP 76, identified in the local press, was that the Cathedral open night had resulted in the shop becoming more well-known. The festival also raised funds for a number of local groups and charities including Harford Manor School, the Lifeguards Association and Norwich Sea Scouts.
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