Thousands of spectators lined the streets of Weston-super-Mare as the town's carnival procession lit up the autumn gloom.

Adults and children wrapped up with hats and scarves watched as the procession weaved its way through the town last night.

But luckily they did not need umbrellas as the rain which had plagued the region earlier in the day help off for the duration of the procession.

It was the last carnival in the Somerset series named the Magnificent Seven, which includes visits to Bridgwater, North Petherton, Burnham-on-Sea, Shepton Mallet, Wells and Glastonbury.

Marching bands led the procession of 117 entries, many adorned with hundreds or sometimes thousands of lights, along a new Weston route this year, which came into force because of seafront road closures.

The event usually attracts a crowd of about 100,000 people, from as far afield as Cornwall and the Midlands.

Among the crowd last night was Rubina Mulla, 26, a sales host from Westbury-on-Trym, who said: "It's a very colourful display this year and the atmosphere is great."

Helen Field, 72, of Patchway, said: "I always enjoy Weston carnival – it's a good night out despite the cold weather and the clubs must have worked hard on their entries this year."

Retired local government officer Peter Hawkins, 64, of Yatton, said: "I started coming 25 years ago and have tried to come all those years.

"It's such an amazing carnival and people put so much effort into it. It brightens up a dismal time of year."

Paul Windsor, 46, had travelled from Warminster in Wiltshire to see the carnival. He said: "I've been to the carnival four times now.

"We have some floats in Warminster but not as many as this. It's very good this year and I will come again next year."

Organisers said there were only a handful of local club entries, from Unlucky Carnival Club with Making Money For You, the Shooting Stars Cheerleaders with It's Raining Again, Barnardos, Move it Shakers Dance Troupe and individual walker Richard Palmer, with Broom's Nightmare.

Weston carnival organiser Brian Coombs said he hoped donations would increase on last year. He said: "We hope people dug deep into their pockets because last year's total was disappointing.
"A lot of charities benefit from the donations, so it would be nice if we could improve on the total."

Among the charities to benefit from carnival donations are the Weston Group of Friends, Avalon Round Table, the RNLI and Avon Fire and Rescue Service.

The night passed off without any major incidents, although volunteer medics from St John Ambulance Avon had plenty to keep them busy. Commissioner Jeremy Hughes said: "We've had quite a busy night, with about a dozen call-outs, but mainly to people in the crowd.

"These were mostly alcohol-related and medical problems and only a couple of people were taken to hospital."

The favourite floats going into Weston were Gremlins CC with 'Joust' in the Best Open Features category and Gemini CC with 'To The Trees' for Best Tableaux category. Both clubs had secured six out of six wins in the circuit and were hoping to make it a full house. In the Best Tableaux category the main competitors were Huckyduck CC, Shambles CC and Pentathlon CC.

Huckyduck CC entry Alice's Dream took the club nine months to make, was lit by 7,000 light bulbs and featured 23 club members on board.

It told the story of Alice in Wonderland and featured the main characters such as Alice, the white rabbit, the cat and the Queen of Hearts.

The youngest float member was eight-year-old Gemma Young and the eldest Nicky Gilbery, 64.