APPLICATIONS to take part in this year's Somerset County Guy Fawkes carnival processions are now being accepted.

With the start of the Guy Fawkes carnival season just 18 weeks away, potential entrants are being invited to complete the online electronic entry form.

These can accessed via the Bridgwater Carnival website at www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk/scgfca-entry-form/ The standardised entry form, which was brought in last year, enables entrants at a click of a button to apply to take part in all seven Somerset County Guy Fawkes carnivals.

These are Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Weston Super Mare, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet, Wells and Glastonbury.

Christine Puddy, president of Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnival Association, said: "The Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnivals are the best illuminated processions in the world, and we are always looking at ways of improving our carnivals and making them more accessible to both those who are taking part and the spectators who travel miles to watch them.

"This online entry form will not just save club secretaries and walking entries considerable time and effort in entering the seven county carnivals, it will also bring an element of standardisation.

"It will help the carnival towns a tremendous amount of time and effort in not having to enter the data from 100 plus individual paper entry forms onto seven different computer systems.

"The new system will also eradicate the difficulties associated with interpreting hand written forms and will enable the spelling of entrants to be consistent throughout the county."

The closing date for applying to take part in the carnivals is September 1, and those who are unable to complete an online entry form can still obtain a paper copy by contacting Dave Croker on 01278 421795.