Crewkerne Carnival beats the rain

It was a wet and windy night when anyone in their right mind would have enjoyed sitting at home in front of a fire – but, thankfully, carnival spirits are made of sterner stuff.

Carnival enthusiasts from Somerset, Dorset and Devon, including, appropriately, the first member of the Monster Raving Loony Party to be elected to a council, converged on Crewkerne on rain-lashed Saturday night.

And they were hailed heroes for their determination to put on a show.

The Disco Babies on Cary Comedians' float must have been chilled to the bone, but that was nothing to what the walking entries endured. Among them were Deanna and Geoff Spencer, from Shaftesbury, Dorset, who each entered as single masqueraders.

Stuart Hughes, the veteran Raving Looney, arrived from Sidmouth with Tango Juvenile Carnival Club and their stunning Horror Express.

Starstruck Theatre School, from Crewkerne, was in on the act, while Merriott Majorettes paraded with a floodlit vehicle displaying a wealth of trophies.

Dave Craner, town crier of Crewkerne and Beaminster, also braved the weather to help the spirits ring out.

The bigger Somerset carnival parades begin on Friday when Bridgwater's Guy Fawkes parade, the largest carnival in Europe, takes to the night-time streets. Organisers promise continuous entertainment from midday in the town centre. The carnival starts at 7pm.