CHEERLEADERS, soldiers and marching bands will all be on display on Sunday as a piece of Americana comes to Potters Bar, the day after England take on the USA in the World Cup opener.

A re-enactment of an American Civil War Battle is the main attraction at this year's Potters Bar Carnival, with enthusiasts playing out the scene in the main arena in Elm Court.

There will also be more than 70 stalls put out by community groups and charities selling their wares and hoping to raise cash for their causes.

Peter Weaver, who has been on the organising committee for 15 yeards, said: “It's been on a Sunday for the last four years, but we did have to delay the scheduling of the event until the World Cup draw was announced.

“For the last two years we've had 5,000 people through the gates, so we're hoping for the good weather again this year.

“We reckon we probably help raise around £20,000 for all the charities taking part in the day, which is a good sum of money. It's really the main event of the year for the town.”

The main beneficiaries this year will be the Guides, who need to raise money to help with repairs at their Morven headquarters.

Mr Weaver added: “We have a different charity every year and they gave the best presentation this year, so we decided to support them. The HQ really needs some money spent on it.

“There are about 15 floats taking part in the precession as well this year, including a lot of local schools, which is great.”

The carnival procession starts at 12.30pm from the Canada Life building in High Street, culminating at 2pm in the Elms Court showground, where doors open to the public at 1pm.