It's carnival time – but it's not the same this year!

This is the time of the year when the residents of East Devon take to the streets on a Saturday night.

It's Carnival Time, only it's not carnival time and despite the dying embers of the pandemic (we hope) seeing life slowly returning to near normal, it often takes months to make a carnival float and this has not been possible, another casualty of COVID-19.

It was back in April that it was decided that the East Devon Circuit carnivals would not be held in 2021.

In fact, it was late summer/early autumn in 2019 when we last saw those magnificent machines wind their way around the tiny streets of East Devon.

Flashing lights, rowdy music, sensational costumes – oh how the carnivalites love it.

Whenever I think of carnival, my thoughts go back to the time I was a junior reporter when Lord of the Manor, Frank Rowe, was the chairman of Axminster Carnival Committee and insisted that whenever we referred to Axminster Carnival in the paper we had to add "Best In The West".

Frank knew perfectly well that it was not the "best in the west", but if we ever left out that moniker he would be on the phone tout suite.

But whilst it was never the "best in the west" – that title went to Bridgewater Carnival – Axminster Carnival was always a very special occasion with the fun fair in town and the streets lined with hot dog stands and candy floss stalls.

A number of carnival clubs were formed to raise money to pay for their annual tableaux, some of which costed hundreds of pounds to build and decorate.

In past years, Sid Vale was the most successful, winning the East Devon circuit on many occasions with their wonderfully dramatic entries.

The Colyton-based Nunsford Nutters always chose a comical theme and Axminster Young Farmers' Club regularly came up with a very novel theme.

The first sighting of the new floats came at Seaton Carnival, traditionally the first on the East Devon circuit, closely followed by Colyton and then Axminster, followed by Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Ottery St Mary and Exmouth.

Such was the dedication, the keen carnivalites would then spend every Saturday night in the run up to Christmas taking part in the Somerset circuit.

For a fundraising point of view, Colyton Carnival had always led the pack in terms of other events during carnival week and there are a number of facilities which have benefitted from the carnival committee's generosity.

To be honest, I've never been a great fan of carnival – and there's a good reason. I appreciate the great fun those who participate have and the pleasure the annual parades give to thousands of East Devon residents.

But as a young reporter working for Pulman's Weekly News when it was a broadsheet, they were a nightmare to cover.

In those days we had to name every person on ever float. That meant taking literally hundreds of names which had to be typed the next day.

I appreciate, however, that autumn is not the same without the carnivals and I'm sure the people of East Devon can't wait for their return in 2022.