Ross Carnival was one of the biggest events the town has seen for years. Thousands of happy locals and visitors thronged the streets of the town, basking in the sunshine as they watched the parade. They then made their way to the Ropewalk where dozens of stalls, sideshows and fairground rides awaited them.

Many people said it was the best parade they had seen for years as it featured several floats, including the prizewinning one created by Ross Pre-school Playgroup based on the story of Aladdin.

The Drybrook Band and the Olá Samba Band also provided musical entertainment as the parade passed through the town.

Several families had put a great deal of effort into their walking entries which included the Wizard of Oz, two brothers who were a policeman and a robber, and a genie riding on a magic carpet.

The winners for the Ross Town Carnival parade entries this year were: Class 1: 1st - Ross Pre School Playgroup, 2nd - Mizz Twisted Cherry, Class 3: 1st - Enviroability Can Do Crew, 2nd - Marine Conservation Society, 3rd - YR Yates. Class 4: 1st - Strictly Samba, 2nd - Ross Court, 3rd - Ross and Monmouth Sea Cadets. Class 5: 1st - Chrissie Ellis, 2nd - Halo Leisure, 3rd - Ukoyd, Class 6: 1st - Martyn Jenkins, 2nd - Ivan James, 3rd - Bill Bufton. Best home-made costume: Chrissie Ellis. Overall Winner: Chrissie Ellis. Winner of the Jonathan Phillips Memorial Trophy: Zee Milinczuk-Boyd.

Entertainment on the field was also very popular with many people enjoying picnics or food purchased on the site, while they watched acts as diverse as the Dolloway Dancers and the Dance Your Way school.

Many local organisations, such as the fire fighters, joined in the spirit of the day and it was obvious that a lot of hard work had gone into making the event a great success.

A touching tribute to Colin Gray, for many years a stalwart of the carnival, was made by the EnviroAbility entry which included the Can Do Crew and their mobility scheme.

For lots more pictures please see pages 12, 13 and 14 of this week’s Ross Gazette and visit the website where even more pictures taken on the day are available to buy. Visit: www.rossgazette.com and click on ’Buy Photos’.