Carnival fundraising 'distracted' by Royal visit

A carnival committee says its fundraising efforts after a gas leak ended its procession have been "distracted" by a visit to the town by Prince William and Ross Kemp.

Ilminster Carnival was stopped early after the discovery of the leak, meaning the town spent a week trying to recoup its costs.

The carnival committee is concerned it may not be able to raise the £5,000 it needs to recover its costs, which include insurance, toilet hire, radio hire and road closures.

In response, Kensington Palace said it was sorry to hear of the difficulties in fundraising, and wished the Ilminster Carnival Committee all the best for its efforts, adding it enjoyed visiting the "brilliant" town.

Kym Toms, the chair of the town's carnival committee, said while she understands the excitement around the royal visit, "it has distracted" Ilminster's fundaising efforts.

Organisers said the decision to cancel the remainder of the carnival was made at 20:55 BST on Saturday, adding that "the safety of our entrants, spectators, volunteers and emergency responders was our priority throughout".

Toms said fundraising via QR codes placed in 28 locations across the town is "trickling along", but not going "full throttle".

The Prince of Wales visited the town during the week, along with Celebrity Traitors star Ross Kemp, to launch a scheme which helps communities prepares for emergencies.

The carnival circus moves to Chard this weekend, with the head of the town's carnival committee Jason Baker saying: "Everything is getting more expensive."

He added: "The insurances, the cost of the first aid, everything really is spiralling.

"Everything gets more expensive each year and people have less and less money, so we find that we're spending a lot more time throughout year fundraising, so that we can ensure that the the money we actually collect on the night goes back to the local groups and charities to help support them."

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