7th July 2010

WEYMOUTH: Olympic carnival comes to town

by Harry Walton

A SPECIAL south west carnival procession could end in Weymouth to mark the start of the 2012 Olympic Games.

The Quest Project has already applied for Lottery funding for the event and expects to hear if it has been successful in January 2011.

County carnival organiser Amy Eastwood explained that, if funding is granted, the procession would include a single large non-motorised float for each of the seven counties in the South West.

She added: “There will be an emphasis on community involvement with people from each county encouraged to get involved with their float.

“All this will be in addition to Weymouth’s fabulous carnival which will be held in August and which will also be an integral part of Olympic celebrations.”

Amy added that there would be no 2010 Moving Tides children’s procession but that the popular Weymouth event would be back in a bigger and better form in 2011.

She said: “We are improving organisation for the event and our changes will all be ready for the 2011 Spirit of the Sea Festival.

“We want to make sure that as many young children as possible can take part in the procession and our plans for next year are focused on that.”

She added that carnival was Weymouth’s biggest day of the year and said: “We wish the Rotary Club’s of Weymouth Carnival Committee every success. We are really looking forward to the events and to seeing how Weymouth Carnival changes over the next two years up to its big day in 2012 between the Olympic and Paralympics.”

Weymouth Carnival spokesman Andy Cooke said they looked forward to hearing from county carnival organisers how they can help make Weymouth Carnival bigger and better than ever in the run up to 2012 and beyond.

He added: “Weymouth Carnival is organised entirely by unpaid volunteers, so an injection of lottery funding would give us the opportunity of making the 2012 event a huge success and raising even larger amounts for local good causes !”

He added that the 2010 carnival – which welcomes back motorized floats — will feature many new events.

These include a Kids Imagineering Experience in the beach’s Skanska Village, a coach pull challenge on the Esplanade, a day long programme of beach events and the return of old favorites such as space hopper racing, the waitress race and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight along with the fabulous Red Arrows, a giant carnival procession, a spectacular firework display and a grand draw for a car.

Anyone planning a carnival procession entry can download an entry form at www.weymouthcarnival.co.uk.

PICTURE: County carnival organiser Amy Eastwood