British Flag Carnival Club took the top award as the curtains closed tonight on the 2015 Bridgwater Carnival Concerts.
With their performance The Show Must Go On, the Bridgwater club won the prestigious White Hart Cup, which is awarded to the gang and feature gaining the highest number of points throughout the concert fortnight. This is the second time in three years the club, who are based at The British Flag pub, Chilton Street, have won the top prize at the annual concerts. The winning club also took the Suffragettes Cup for best costume and the Millennium Cup for best stage setting.
Laura Dodden, chairman of British Flag CC, was delighted with the club’s success. She said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the results, and I would like to thank every person who has been involved with this year’s stage performance. It has been an amazing experience, and I am so proud to be in such a close club with the best group of people, who are all proud to be part of Bridgwater Carnival.”
Gremlins CC were overall runners up with Just Another Day in Hollywood and Ramblers CC came third with Gotham’s Most Wanted. Wills CC were the highest placed tableau club and won the Sam Hooper Cup after coming 10th overall with The Secret Creed.
In other results announced tonight, Lime Kiln CC, and Marketeers CC shared the Les Manley Cup for most improved clubs, and solo singer Ben Filler took the Judges Cup for best single vocalist. The Julia McDonald Dance Company won the Starkey Cup for their show The Big Jig, while Andy Meek from Ramblers CC, won the Reg Dyer Cup for the personality Award. There were also awards for Viva La Diva Showgirls who won the George Bown Cup for best song, dance, musical / novelty act, Best Foot Forward who took the Bert Snook Rose Bowl for best under 17 front of curtain act, Bel Canto who won the Athletic Sports Cup for the best vocal act (two or more), and ventriloquist Kevin Cripwell who won the Arthur Rainey Cup for best comic act.
Tonight’s performance brought the curtain down on a successful 2015 carnival concert fortnight, and was attended by many local dignitaries and sponsors, including Sedgemoor District Council chairman, Cllr Ian Dyer, and Bridgwater Mayor, Cllr Leigh Redman.
Rita Jones, president of Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, said: “This year’s carnival concerts have been the best for many a year, and I am sure anybody who has watched this year’s show would agree in that it would not look out of place on a West End stage or a Broadway theatre. I would like to pay tribute and thank all of the carnival clubs, dance troupes and front of curtain acts for providing such wonderful entertainment throughout the past fortnight, and I can’t wait for the 2016 carnival concerts.”
Carnival concerts have been held in the town since 1883 and the main sponsors for this year’s event were Refresco Gerber UK Ltd and Arts Council England, with Somerset Car Sales sponsoring the tickets, Northcliffe Media sponsoring the souvenir programmes and Anderson and Wall sponsoring the auditions.