ORGANISERS of this year’s Teignmouth Carnival have welcomed a £2,000 cash boost from Teignmouth Town Council saying it could make the difference between this year’s event staying afloat or going into the red.

A decision to award the funds was taken by members of the Finance Committee, three days after the 2025 carnival had swung into action.

It heard chairman Sarah Woolway report escalating costs, such as Teignbridge District Council’s charges for electricity and administration which topped £600 and the hire of gazebos and tables at more than £500.

With the bar being the only potential source of income to offset costs, now running at more than £70,000, Sarah said: ‘It’s going to be close.’

She added: ‘The carnival is a completely free event run by volunteers who give up their holidays and don’t get paid a penny.

‘Thousands of people enjoy the events, the whole town is benefitting.’

Members agreed and voted to settle some carnival invoices direct if passed on by the committee, including the bill for fireworks which could exceed £2,000.

Afterwards committee chairman Cllr Joan Atkins said: ‘The carnival has been such a valued event over many, many years and brings in people.

‘It’s really important the carnival committee get some sort of reward for all the hard work they do.

‘It’s absolutely an investment in the town and I think it would be wrong if we didn’t.’

Sarah said: ‘It’s absolutely brilliant and will go a long way to getting this carnival to break even, we really appreciate it.

‘We’re hoping with this grant, and all the other supporters we have plus the community, we’ll be fine.’

Fellow committee member Cathy Hooper added: ‘Local shops benefit from carnival, restaurants, the whole town, getting the grant is absolutely brilliant.’

Although currently Teignmouth Carnival currently operates as a limited company, meaning it cannot qualify for town council grants, the authority is, however, permitted to settle supplier invoices if passed directly to officers.

It is understood limited company status will be dissolved prior to next year’s carnival, allowing grant applications to be made.