BUSINESSES and local authorities in Salisbury have been working to establish an illuminated carnival in the city and now want the public to get involved.

Work began behind the scenes last year to establish a steering committee, now they have set a date – October 22 next year – and a route, but want more people to give their input.

Salisbury City Carnival committee is made up of local businesses, media, Salisbury City Council, Salisbury City Centre Management and the police.

The committee wants to hear from schools, charities, community groups, businesses and carnival clubs who would like to be part of the procession.

Claire Burden, who chairs the committee, said: “It’s an exciting time for Salisbury, many of the residents will remember the days gone by when we had a hospital carnival and we hope they enjoy our illuminated procession just as much, if not more.

“Any event that benefits the city and brings together the business community, the residents and community groups of Salisbury is always well received. We invite anyone who would like to be involved to get in touch. We already have a huge amount of interest from other carnivals in the area who would like to come here.”

The committee also wants to build a number of community floats that groups can work on together and would like to hear from anyone who can loan a trailer, tractor or lorry to the carnival or anyone who has a secure unit that a float could be stored in.

A website, sponsored by local IT company Blue Frontier, is currently under construction and will be available soon at www.salisburycarnival.co.uk. For more details or to register an interest, contact Claire Burden on 07879661086.