Castle Cary & Ansford Illuminated Carnival 2014

Castle Cary & Ansford’s Illuminated Carnival which took place on Saturday, has been acclaimed for its smooth running, the variety of entries and great carnival atmosphere. Heavy rain in the morning cleared away for a perfect evening for spectators and carnival entrants alike. This year featured a one-off award, for the Best Masquerader With A WW1 Theme – won by Cary favourite Edward Harbin, who marched through the town in an authentic uniform of the day.

The carnival procession included a marching band, five majorette troupes, two tableaux and several ‘ big hitter’ floats. Among many awards made on Saturday, Cary Comedians CC took Best Local Float with Oom Pah Pah!. Hot Rock CC was judged the Best Visiting Float with Hay Day, and the Best Masqueraders Overall were En- Spire CC with their Last Dance entry. Quackerside CC took first prize in the tableaux category with their challenging and appreciated Apocalypse tableaux, with Magnum CC’s statuesque Ice and Fire a close runner-up.

But spectators and participants alike agreed that the real winner of the night was the carnival itself: as good as, if not better than, last year’s. The annual window-dressing competition ensured that high street shops were decorated with a carnival theme, and the fun fair was in town after a year’s absence – all adding to the carnival atmosphere. Spectator numbers were down slightly, but still into the thousands and in a good-natured carnival mood. The procession started on time at 7 pm and featured the variety of entries that make a great Somerset carnival, and ran smoothly with no problems around the route.

The collection from the evening, most of which will go to local deserving causes next year, was just short of £1700.

CCACS President Gordon Stockman said, “This year’s procession looked really good as it went through our town. It is a tribute to our procession organisers, the marshals and other supporters that it ran so smoothly. But I would also like to thank everyone who turned out to watch and give so generously: a lot of masqueraders reported to me how friendly and appreciative the crowd was – and that really makes a difference.”