Everything was going according to plan - 'Help for Heroes' was chosen as the 2010 Project. A circus had been booked as the main arena event and the final of 'Braintree's got Talent' was due to take place on Meadowside.

All we needed was not to be drawn in Group C in the World Cup Finals. Well you cannot have everything in life. Group C it was - England v USA to kick off at 7:30pm on Carnival Day. Should we change the day? It's a dilemma but after much debate it was decided to go ahead and assume that events would finish early.

Then it got worse, just three weeks before the event, a road traffic accident forced Nick Lee's Circus to cancel. This left a big hole in the programme of events but it was too late to organise a replacement.

Come the day the sun shone, the procession wound its way through the town as bright and colourful as ever. The thousands of people lining the streets and massing at Meadowside dug deep and ensured that 'Help for Heroes' was well supported. Joseph Baker walked off as the winner of 'Braintree's Got Talent'.

To cap it all, we started packing away early due to the football and were finished by midnight.