THE future of a carnival club in Ilminster has been saved.

One Plus One CC put an appeal in the News on April 9 in the hope of finding a new base after they had to leave the Dillington Estate.

Committee members said if they couldn’t find a home within a couple of months they would be forced to fold.

It has not been an easy couple of years for the club as it had to withdraw its entry from last year’s carnival circuit after its tractor engine failed.

But this week the News can reveal that Donyatt Bowling Club have come to their rescue, offering them some land to help build their cart.

Chairman Maurice Hooper, one of around 20 members at the carnival club, said it was a huge relief.

He said: “They [the bowling club] approached us and so did another lady, but we decided to go with the bowling club option.

“It was brilliant – it gave us what we wanted and we can even use their electricity if we need to, and then we’ll pay them a little bit of money for the cost of that.”

The club now hopes to concentrate on preparing its cart for this year’s carnival season.

Mr Hooper said: “Fingers crossed we’ll make an appearance at the carnival – we need to rebuild the tractor, but we’ll be back on form again.

“Hopefully we’ll be OK – it was stressful moving, but this has been a real bonus.”

This year, Ilminster Carnival is on Saturday, October 4, while Chard Carnival is the following Saturday, October 11.