MEMBERS of Hillview Juvenile Carnival Club are celebrating a special year of success after being crowned juvenile county champions in their 40th year.

Hillview, Burnham’s only home-grown carnival club left in existence, took the Juvenile County Cup after wins at Highbridge and Burnham, North Petherton, Wells, Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury carnivals with their spectacular ‘Jungle Fever’ cart.

They also took second place at Bridgwater and Weston.

This year’s entry, which was designed to go all out in celebration of the club’s 40 year milestone, received high praise from judges and proved popular with crowds across Somerset.

It was decorated with more than 5,000 light bulbs, 80 feet long and cost more than £10,000 to design and construct.

Hillview’s treasurer Lyn Burland said members were thrilled that all the hard work had paid off and that all the children had enjoyed the support of their home town.

The club managed to bounce back after testing times this summer when there was uncertainty over where their cart could be stored after being left homeless when the firm that owned their former base went into administration.

It was feared that without a sheltered base the club wouldn’t be able to take a cart out to this year’s procession but owner of Burnham Waste, Terry Rickards, stepped in back in July and offered the club temporary use of a large sheltered area on his site in Highbridge.