EVESHAM town councillors have granted the town's Round Tablers £700 to give this year's carnival a boost.

The donation represents almost half the costs of staging the event, and was very much welcomed by the members who are organising the carnival on Saturday, May 29.

Speaking at a full town council meeting on last Monday, councillor Ron Stow said: "This event falls well within the criteria - a local event put on by local people. I would propose that we donate £700. We are giving money back to the ratepayer."

Round Table vice-chairman Iain Pollard said: "The carnival is run as an event to raise money for charity, in particular local charities.

"In order to stage the event there is a number of things we have to spend money on, so the town council's contribution will contribute to this which is good news."

The carnival, which is staged every other year, usually raises thousands of pounds as volunteers for good causes parade on floats through the town. The money collected on the day will be distributed equally between all the charities that take part.

Organisers want to reduce the estimated £2,000 running costs with as much sponsorship as possible. Mr Pollard said: "We endeavour to get most of the costs of running the event from local companies. We will be doing our utmost on the carnival committee to ensure as much money as possible is raised for good causes."

This year's carnival will have a 1970s television theme, inspired largely by the recent influx of classic remakes, including Starsky and Hutch. One of the main attractions of the day will be the original vintage Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, making a popular return to the town.