Campaign to save Bridport Carnival's torchlight procession

The procession to West Bay has been the traditional finale to Bridport Carnival week since 1971.

But the Bridport Carnival Committee says it was informed that highways officials were no longer prepared to close the A35 at the Crown Roundabout for the 30 minutes it takes for the procession to safely cross the road. Highways England has responsibility for the A35 and the News has approached them for comment.

With the income from the torchlight procession being vital to the carnival, organisers believe the carnival - due to be held next year after a two-year break - may not be viable without it.

The procession traditionally sees torch holders walk from Bridport Town Hall in Bucky Doo Square down to West Bay. This would require crossing the A35 next to the Crown Roundabout.

The committee does not believe there is a suitable alternative route it could take.

Meetings have been scheduled between the two parties but due to the pandemic they have frequently been postponed. The committee is seeking a swift resolution so that it can plan its 2022 event.

Campaigners walked the procession route on Sunday to gather momentum for their cause Picture: Michelle Holmes-Good

A protest petition urging a rethink has taken off in recent days with almost 1,000 people getting behind it.

Carnival committee member Nick Good, said: "Over the years, the highways authority has been more and more reluctant to close the road. For the last carnival in 2019, they gave us permission and then decided they wouldn't allow us to do it again.

"We've offered to pay towards it in the past and offered to supply stewards but the response has simply been 'no, we're not going to do it anymore'.

"We can't change the route, we can't go through the underpass as that would be unsafe from a health and safety point of view. We're trying to get started on preparations for next year and we need to resolve this issue.

"We've decided to start a petition to garner support and to show the highways authority how important it is."

He added: "Torchlight is the way we make our money as we charge for the torches, so that tends to be how we fund the festival. It's not cheap running a carnival so if we can't find a solution to this, the carnival most likely won't be able to happen. Another Bridport tradition would die."

Campaigners walked the traditional route from Bucky Doo to West Bay on Sunday, August 22 to gather momentum for their cause.

The petition was also started on Sunday, by Michelle Holmes-Good, with an aim of reaching 1,000 signatures.

By Wednesday, August 25, the petition had cleared its goal.

Mrs Holmes-Good said: "I put the petition up on Sunday and we've already managed to reach almost 1,000 signatures.

"It's scary how fast it got there but shows how passionate people are, and how much they want this tradition to continue.

"We need to get this out there because it's clearly very important to the town."

Stephen Potts, Service Manager for National Highways, said: “For a number of years, our contractors have provided traffic management at Crown Roundabout to allow the procession to cross the A35.

"However, due to several factors including safety concerns and complaints from motorists wishing to use the A35, an alternative route was planned for discussion.

He added: “Unfortunately due to COVID those conversations are yet to take place but we and our police partners welcome the opportunity to discuss an alternative route with organisers and the town council, one that does not involve the closure of the A35, so that next year’s procession can go ahead safely and conveniently.”