Issue 336 – Carnival fever hits Frome!

A GREATER turnout, even more creative entries and increased donations from the public have helped make this year’s Frome Carnival one of the best ever.

Carnival fever hit Frome on Saturday, with a children’s procession in the afternoon followed by the main procession in the evening. Organisers have applauded the local community, who flocked to the day’s events to support the spectacle and help Carnival spirit fill the town.
June Barnes, chair of the Carnival committee, said she was delighted with this year’s event. “It was absolutely fantastic, one of the best Carnivals we’ve had for a long time!” she said. “We were up on entires, up on crowd attendance I believe, and up on collections.
“The entries were all very, very good, there are new ideas every year. People always come back with something different and the imagination and talent in putting on a float is incredible.
“I thought some of the children’s procession entries in the afternoon were exceptional! The theme for the nursery groups was ‘circus’, and I know some of the groups made all their own costumes. The children love it!”
Out of the 34 entries registered for the evening procession, Little Devil’s Carnival Club, Frome, took The Butler and Tanner Cup as the best of the 1st prize winners from classes 1-5. The Chuckles Carnival Club Cup, awarded to the best of the 1st prize winners from all walking classes went to Divas Carnival Club from Frome. The colourful creativity of costumes was recognised with the Frome Carnival shield for best costumes, which went to Hot Rock Carnival Club from Gillingham, while the town crier best costume cup went to Next Generation Carnival Club of Gillingham.
An initial count of collections suggests that over £6,000 was raised from the day, a total which is up on last year’s collection. The carnival is a registered charity, and funds go to local people in need, which in the past have covered everything from electric scooters for disabled people to playgroups..
June said, “Carnival is really for the people of Frome. We even take all our girls [carnival royalty] around the nursing homes and local hospitals, so we take Carnival to the people who can’t get out.”
The success of this year’s event can only bode well for future Carnivals, which have long been a centrepiece in Frome’s busy calendar. June said, “Having had such a success this year, we’d like to build on that. Perhaps people will think of putting on events during the year to raise money to help cover the cost of the Carnival. We always need more support in advance so that we can be sure of covering the costs and then we can put the Carnival on and know that everything we’ve raised will go to local people in need.
“We’ve been so pleased with this year’s event. Thanks must go to our main sponsors, Dairy Crest, Kevin Corcoran carpets, Rainbow International, and Moore’s plastic, and many others who sponsored smaller amounts. And thanks must go to the small but hard working Carnival committee. Great thanks to the Rotary who organised the collections for us, and the people who volunteered and took buckets and the Hope group who sold programmes.”
The carnival committee is also appealing for the safe return of one of their banners, which was taken from the railings outside NatWest bank.