A YOUTH parade on Burnham beach saw around 190 children take part and a fun day has helped raise hundreds for local charities.

Youth groups from Burnham and Highbridge got involved with the procession along the beach, which successfully promoted the groups to young people in the area.

Organiser Jonathan Smith said: “There was a slight hiccup where the parade had to be moved to the beach, in order to be covered by Sedgemoor's insurance.

“But it went really well. There were a lot of grandparents saying 'this is amazing' when they saw the procession. There were around 190 people involved and this was more than last year.

“There were one or two people who signed up for the youth council, which was great.”

The parade started at Maddock's Slade and travelled along to the jetty, where the Carnival Queen's fun day was held.

Carnival Queen Emma Nicholson, 17, said: “It was brilliant. I can't be happier. The amount of people that came was amazing. I'd like the thank everyone who helped organise the day.

“We raised around £400, which will be split between road safety charity Think Amy, Children's Hospice South West and Burnham Pantomime Society.

“Representative from the charities came and they had a stand each.

“There wasn't a fun day with the parade last year and I think this really added to the day.”

There were plenty of activities including a raffle, cake stall, games, face painting, teacup ride, candy floss and an ice cream stall.

The next big children's event will be a Pirate Day on August 3 where children can come in fancy dress and play pirate-themed games on the beach near the pavilion.