ORGANISERS of the Bridgwater Carnival are celebrating after receiving a grant for over £30,000 from Arts Council England for the fourth consecutive year.

They have awarded a £31,926 grant for the 2014 Bridgwater Carnival celebrations.

Chris Hocking, commercial officer and life member of Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival Committee, said: “This is absolutely fantastic news for everybody associated with our carnival, and I would like to thank Arts Council England for their much needed support and for recognising the role our carnival related activities play in the development of arts in Somerset.

“This money will enable us to continue and increase the work we are doing with local schools in spreading the carnival word, and also to provide a full programme of top class entertainment on carnival day itself.”

This year five separate educational carnival projects have been arranged for local school children to participate in.

These include workshops to build lanterns from recycled materials which children can then carry in lantern parades over carnival weekend, mask decorating, a literary competition, a design and build a model carnival cart competition and a choreographed dance parade through the town centre on carnival day itself.

The entertainment for carnival day is still being finalised, and will be confirmed over the next couple of weeks.

“This year’s Bridgwater Carnival activities will be the greatest we have ever staged in the town, with something for everyone to enjoy,” Chris added.

“Sadly, other carnivals and events have faltered this year, but Bridgwater Carnival goes from strength to strength and we are extremely grateful to Arts Council England and local businesses and organisations for recognising the importance of our event and for supporting the vital role we play in the community.”

*Apologies for the use of an incorrect image on the previous carnival article, it has now been corrected