The 42nd St Paul's Carnival will brighten up the streets of Bristol today.

The carnival, a popular celebration of Afro-Caribbean arts and culture, is due to kick off with music on the Green Stage in Grosvenor Green at 11am.

This year's theme is Leaders of Tomorrow, and youngsters are involved with many of the carnival events.

The procession of floats will start at 1pm and run until 3.30pm, with judging from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

There will also be a Poetry Corner in St Paul's Park from 2-6pm, and a children's area called Mandela Hideaway in St Agnes Park.

Groups on the floats include Cabot Primary, Fairfield School, the Lockleaze Afrikan Sambistas, Cotham School, the Bristol School of Samba, St Nicholas of Tolentine Primary, Ashley Down Juniors and the City Academy Steel Band.

As the carnival gets under way, men are being encouraged to find out more about prostate cancer.

Studies show that men from an Afro Caribbean background are three times more likely to get the disease, so a team from the Bristol 5km Run for the Future event will be handing out advice.

Prince King, of Eastville, recently lost his brother Lloyd to prostate cancer and believes more men should ask for blood tests that will help diagnose the disease sooner.

Prostate cancer affects more than 35,000 men in the UK every year and more than 10,000 of them die.

The Run for the Future, which is returning for its fourth year, raises money for the Bristol Urological Institute Prostate Cancer Appeal.

St Paul's Carnival has adopted Run for the Future as one of its main charities in the hope that more men will think about their health.

Mr King, who is 57, but still regularly plays cricket for Phoenix West Indies in the Bristol & District League has told members of his cricket team to get tested.

He said: "I didn't know anything about prostate cancer until Lloyd died, but since then I have been supporting the charity.

"I will now be getting tested and suggesting others go to their GPs. It would be good to see a screening programme or drop-in session to encourage men to get tested.

"If it saves their life, it's got to be worth it."

Run for the Future is organised by Bristol Rotarians and has raised more than £130,000 so far to help fund research into the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The event will be held on the Downs on Sunday, September 20.