Three budding carnivalites from St John and St Francis Primary School were the winners of an official Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival competition to design and build a model carnival cart of the future.
Ebony Tucker, Robbie Orr and Corey Savage beat tough competition to take the top three positions in the unique competition which attracted over 100 entries and was kindly sponsored by EDF Energy. Their three carts wowed a prestigious judging panel, which included Chris Walder, Hinkley Point B’s continuous improvement manager (EDF Energy), Ron Schroder, Hinkley Point A’s site director, and his wife Donna, Andy Mclean, chairman of Gremlins CC, Roger Smith, manager of Angel Place shopping centre, Rita Jones and Chris Hocking, president and commercial officer, of Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival Committee respectively.
The aim of the competition, which was open to schools in and around the Bridgwater area, was to encourage younger people to take an interest in the carnival tradition and to help then learn and develop associated construction, engineering, science and practical skills.
Chris Walder, said: “The standard of the entries was incredibly high, and I would like to congratulate every person who designed, built and submitted an entry. It was a difficult competition to judge, especially considering the amount of work the children had put in.
“The key in ensuring that carnival thrives is to capture the interest and imagination of younger people in construction, engineering, science and practical skills, and if this competition is anything to go by, then the future of Bridgwater Carnival is in good hands.”
As well as receiving science kits as prizes, Ebony, Robbie and Corey have won £250 for their school, courtesy of EDF Energy.
Other winners in the Bridgwater Carnival 2015 education competitions were:
Decorate a carnival mask competition (Sponsored by Arts Council England)
1st – Robert Blake Science College (£250 prize for the school)
2nd – Puriton Primary School
3rd – Somerset Bridge Primary School
Highly commended – Elmwood School
Literacy competition (sponsored by Wilkie, May and Tuckwood, Bridgwater)
1st – Sullivan Maclean, North Petherton Primary School, Kestrel Class (£100 prize for the school)
Highly commended – Sharia Thea Hill, Hamp Academy and Harry Singh, Somerset Bridge Primary Schools (£50 prizes for their respective schools)
Carnival mask trail competition (sponsored by Timeless Images, Bridgwater)
1st – Lucy Manley (prize – free portrait sitting plus 5 prints, courtesy of Timeless Images).
Chris Hocking, added: “All schoolchildren know that learning can be fun when it’s linked to something they enjoy, and this is why we developed a range of carnival activities and competitions for local schools to deliver to their students, each carefully designed to incorporate elements of the normal school curriculum. The response from the children this year has been absolutely fantastic, and we hope this tremendous engagement will continue for many more years to come.”