Bridgwater Carnival

This weekend tens of thousands of people packed the streets of Bridgwater for the carnival.

For the first time the event was moved from a Friday to a Saturday night in the hope of bringing in bigger crowds. And it seems the move worked.

This year the street charity collection raised more than 24 and a half thousand pounds. That's up almost three and a half thousand pounds on last year

This year's Bridgwater Carnival helped raise more than 24 thousands pounds for charity.

After moving from a Friday to a Saturday for the first time, the weather held up for the night. And England's oldest lit procession had a few surprises in store...

Organisers have announced that the street collection held during this year's Bridgwater Carnival raised £24,565, an increase of nearly £3,500 on 2011.

The money will be shared between ten local charities.

The much anticipated Bridgwater Carnival procession begins shortly as part of a three year experiment which sees it move to Saturday night.

It's hoped the change in day will encourage even more people to attend the high profile event, seen by many as the highlight of the carnival circuit.

Laura Makin-Isherwood reports:

A fireworks display will be held in Bridgwater tonight [Friday] to prepare the town for the annual Guy Fawkes Carnival.

The carnival will take place tomorrow for the first time in years to make it more accessible to families.

There'll also be a fairground at St Matthews Field.

The event is organised by Bridgwater Town Council and Sedgemoor District Council.