HOW do we beat that? It's a question Teignmouth carnival organisers are asking themselves after staging their biggest and best week of free entertainment.

Thousands poured into the town to join locals in a festival of fun, and for once the weather was warm and dry throughout.

And for music lovers it was a real treat. Bands thumped out rock, blues, jazz and soul all week from the open air stage on the Den, and one fan quipped: 'It was like Glastonbury, but without the mud or the cost.'

It was a magnificent arena for musicians and the crowds, and Teignmouth is now building a formidable reputation as a music town.

Abba tribute band Gimme Gimme Gimme attracted well over 3,000 as they laid on a non-stop set of all the favourite hits, and even had non-Abba fans singing along and waving hands in the air. The enthusiasm and verve of the quartet was catching.

Other star performances came from Newton Abbot rockers Rude Tiger, who also packed the Den after the procession; talented Babysnakes, and Electric Rivers.

The procession itself was probably a record for the number of entries, and a crowd of thousands lined the streets. To round off a great evening, a spectacular display of fireworks had everybody enthralled.

Carnival chairman Dave Matthews was 'knackered' along with the rest of his committee and volunteers, after putting in hours that would be illegal in the workplace.

'We were all dropping on our feet by the end, but boy was it worth it. To think that a group of nine of us could give so much pleasure to so many people made it all worthwhile.

'Some of the feedback we have received is unreal – people enjoyed it all so much.

'We will have a break now for a couple of weeks, and then sit down for a debriefing on how it all went, and start to plan next year. But it is going to be a tough task to try and better this – we must strive to do that, however.'

Mr Matthews picked out volunteer David Heath for special praise, after he raised £1,500 from selling programmes and raffle tickets.

Despite the huge crowds, police reported little trouble, with people of all ages, from kids to pensioners, just out for a good time. A few drunks were quickly pounced on by security staff before any problems arose.

Among the winners in the procession were: Queen of queens – Torquay; royalty – Totnes; floats over 25 feet – South Brent, Monarch of the Glen; class B – Teignmouth Tangents, Charleston; children's individual fancy dress – Pigs' Pudding; adults – Snow White.

Group fancy dress, children – Dawlish Butterflies; adults – Mache Wonderland; youth community class – Teignmouth Meadow Centre; adults – Grease Lightning.

Mechanical – Keiron Moore, Wild South West; trade – Bill & Taylor opticians; schools – Holcombe Nursery; pubs – the Ship Inn, Teignmouth; majorettes – Twilight Twirlers.

Mache Wonderland also won the overall fancy dress award, while the Alan Norsworthy Trophy went to Grease Lightning.

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