PICTURES: Littlehampton Carnival Spring Fun Day

Hundreds of people enjoyed the Spring Fun Day’s programme of entertainment in the pedestrian precinct, which was lined with stalls and a small funfair, on a sunny, if chilly, day. Carnival president Freda Hughes was delighted with the grand total of £675 raised on the day, including the impressive sum of £211 collected by Tyndall Jones, shaking his bucket among the shoppers in High Street. “It’s the first time we have attempted to hold an event around Easter time, and it went down really well, with lots of people in the town centre,” said Freda. The new Littlehampton Carnival Queen Chloe Bryant opened the proceedings, and she and Carnival Princesses Natasha-Jane Townsend and Eve Edwards were joined by carnival mascot Hampton the Hedgehog to meet and greet shoppers and visitors. Entertainment included performances by the Arundel and Littlehampton District Scout Band, the Wonder Girls pom-pom dance group, from Bognor Regis and the Sussex Tornados cheerleading troupe, from Littlehampton. DJ Darren Power, of Studio 1, was the anchorman compering the event and keeping up the interest throughout the day, while the Dillistones charity organ again provided a soundtrack of music from yesteryear. Staci Mendoza, a member of the carnival committee, played a big part in organising Saturday’s event and she, too, was pleased with the outcome. “It’s given the carnival a much-needed cash injection, and was yet another reminder of how much the carnival does throughout the year, and not just with the summer parade,” said Staci. “Everyone on the committee does it voluntarily and we all work diligently to keep this tradition of the summer carnival going, but with a modern slant, too, to keep it fresh. “The cost of running the summer carnival parade, and especially the insurance involved, keeps going up, so events like the one we had on Saturday are vital. “We always aim to raise money for good causes ourselves, too, so last year we were able to help out the Scouts and give funding to a young woman who was going on an expedition.” The 2015 carnival is on July 11.