HILLVIEW Carnival club has made a dramatic plea to the town council for help in building a shed.

The building would house the construction of their annual carnival cart for the Winter Carnival event.

At a meeting of the council’s Policy and Finance Committee, held in the Old Courthouse last week, Mark Bishop asked councillors to consider making a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of building the structure in time for next year’s carnival preparations.

He said: “The application is for a shelter so we have a working environment so we can progress our entry and put the club back where it needs to be. We work at the moment under terrible conditions in the open.”

He explained the club was mainly for children and young people with most of the members being from Highbridge. Pupils from St Alfred’s School can come along to help the club and they had learned valuable practical skills, he said.

One of the boys who came along wanted to he an electrician and another wanted to be a metalworker and so they gained practical skills.

“We have a plot of land on the industrial estate, at Burnham waste site. We’re not talking of a factory sized shed but one that is 14m x 12m,” he said.

He said the club was the only one in Burnham and Highbridge and it had helped a lot of young people with new skills and building confidence.

He added: “I joined the club when I was eight and now I’m 38. I’m a tractor driver with three children. One is too old to go on but the other two and members. They are not on their computers at this time of year, instead they work on the cart.”

The councillors questioned Mr Bishop, who explained they were looking for £5,000 towards the cost of £10,400 for a steel constructed shed that could be taken down at any time.

Its site was loaned by the landowner who was a supporter of the club and the site included all the utilities required. Although they only had a small bank balance at the moment the carnival had paid out for all the materials they needed for the year. The club did not need the money immediately but were looking towards next year in the build up for the 2016 carnival, he told the meeting.

Councillors voted to recommend the application for full council to discuss.

This year’s carnival takes place on Monday, November 9 at 7.30pm.

Do you have memories of the Winter Carnival? If you’d like to share your memories and photos of the event in years gone by then, contact harry.mottram@nqsw.co.uk.