After all the excitement of ‘Taunton Together’ and launching ourselves as a UK cultural destination – a massive commitment, and all the surprising, novel and entertaining things we’ve seen and heard, we’ve now moved on to other important events in our Town.

The first was the public signing of the Charter for Compassion in Wyndham Hall. We invited businesses and anyone who wanted to take part to sign.

It took place in Wyndham Hall on 10 October, initiated by Andy Spragg, from Sangha House and is supported by Taunton Town Council. 20 individuals and 14 organisations signed, a fantastic commitment by our community.

We’re now a Sanctuary Town and Compassion Town – and we’re a town which has a very famous heritage. The Wyndham Hall used to be a lecture theatre next to Somerset Museum. Now it’s been re-invented as a small theatre/cinema.

It really is in its authentic state (1927), so lovingly restored by SANHS (Somerset Archeological and Natural History Society.) The carved oak doorway, re-cycled, is from the 16th century. Another of Taunton’s historical treasures is Taunton Carnival. And guess what? The Mayor of Taunton automatically becomes the President of the committee.

So having seen it many times, but having no real knowledge of its origins I needed to find out more. Why is it here? The earliest record of a Carnival in Taunton was part of the Taunton Festival on 22 June 1814, to celebrate the end of the Napoleonic wars.

There were a few more in between, with the first modern Carnival staged on 15 October 1891 by Taunton’s cyclists in aid of funds for the Taunton & Somerset Hospital in East Reach. The torchlight procession included 130 riders.

This year sees the 57 annual illuminated procession on Saturday, 19 October. You can find out more for yourself on their website www.tauntoncarnival.co.uk Please come and give it your support. It’s another free event for all the family, open to everyone, taking place at 7pm on the main street from Tangier Bridge down to Critchard Way, at the bottom of East Reach.

There will be music, dancing, creative displays on show – lots of fun. There will be fast food stalls to sample. By supporting this event, you’ll make all the hard work undertaken by the wonderful Carnival Committee, worthwhile.

You’ll definitely see me there, along with the many talented and creative people who live in Somerset. Come and give me a wave! There are several groups which need to come together before that though – the committee, the volunteers, the collectors, the stewards and the participants and of course, we need an audience. 

Carnival teams come from Taunton and surrounding areas to put on the ‘show’. We’re part of a South Somerset carnival circuit, which includes, Wellington, Chard and Ilminster, which means we help each other out. ‘Carnival’ is a major undertaking and it costs a lot of money: insurance, traffic management, licenses etc.

It costs £10,000 to put on, let alone the organisation, which is managed by volunteers, so please give generously. We must keep our heritage. It’s part of our cultural identity. It’s also an event which brings our community together in so many different ways.

I just want to say a big thank you to the Carnival Committee, volunteers, who spend the whole year, raising money and organizing the event. They would definitely welcome new, dedicated helpers. Please email: info@tauntoncarnival.co.uk

We’re also celebrating Black History Month on 24 October at the Brewhouse Theatre. State of Trust have invited us to a wonderful night of Caribbean culture and offered to give a platform to the mayor’s chosen charity for the year, Diversity Voice. Please come and support this event.

And Nigerians in Taunton are also organizing a Diversity Voice charity event on 25 October with 61 Bar and Venue on the High Street – ‘Diversity Connect’ from 8pm until late… If you like dancing, we can promise you a wild night! Diversity Voice help disabled and marginalised groups all across Somerset. Please come and support us. We’d love to see you. 

We are Taunton Together. We work together. We support each other. I just want to say a huge thank you on behalf of Taunton Town Council, to all the people who are stepping forward to make our town the vibrant community it’s becoming