FUNDING has been secured to hold a brand new celebratory event called The Tilbury Carnival.

The carnival, which is being led by the Tilbury on the Thames Trust (TTT) will be held on July 20, thanks to funding secured from various organisations.

This includes £20,000 from the Windrush Day Fund, £10,000 from the Port of Tilbury, £5,000 from Thurrock Council and £30,000 from the Arts Council England.

The carnival will be hosted as an exciting spectacle for everyone to enjoy, inspired by the local heritage of the area and the role of Tilbury with the Empire Windrush.

Thurrock proudly connects with the Empire Windrush, which arrived in the Tilbury cruise terminal on June 22, and a major celebration was held in 2018 to mark the 70th anniversary of this arrival.

The project will engage with local schools and residents in Tilbury in a programme of educational workshops, designed to celebrate the Windrush carnival.

Tilbury on the Thames Trust are managing the project, alongside the locally based and renowned arts organisation Kinetika. Local dancers, a giant puppet building and celebratory flags created specifically to tell local stories will be at the event.

A partnership between the Port of Tilbury, Tilbury on the Thames Trust, Tilbury Riverside Project, One Community Development Trust and Kinetika, and Thurrock Council, applied to the Windrush Fund to look at how Windrush Day could be part of Tilbury Carnival.

Tilbury on the Thames Trust are also partnering with Norwich, which will see home grown talent perform in the Lord Mayor's Procession, one of England's oldest running carnival processions which will be part of the day.

Stuart Wallace, Chair of TTT: “The carnival will build on last year’s introduction to the Tilbury Carnival which was part of the Port of Tilbury open day.

"We hope to create an even bigger parade dancing its way through Tilbury this year and hope that everyone gets involved.”

Jackie Doyle Price MP said: “It’s wonderful to see the carnival return to Tilbury this summer.

"It will be a fantastic event for everyone to be part of and a fitting way to mark our connections with Windrush, an important part of our local history.”

For more information on the carnival please go to: www.tilburycarnival.tott.org.uk