THE carnival may be over but the goodwill continues.

Three months on from the big day, Weymouth Carnival organisers handed out the proceeds to more than 80 charities, community groups and individuals.

The 2010 new-look Weymouth Carnival, which saw the return of the floats after a campaign by the Dorset Echo, and a new organising committee from the town’s Rotary Clubs at the helm, raised a record-breaking £50,000.

Once the committee paid their various costs they were able to sort through the grant applications from the various good causes before making the biggest payout in carnival history.

A presentation night attended by more than 200 people was held at the Spice Ship pub in Preston.

Carnival chairman for 2010 Robert Sedgbeer described it as a ‘fantastic’ event with great food and company.

He said a special thank-you was due to staff at the Spice Ship who donated prizes to the raffle as well as laying on a disco and buffet and setting up a big screen so the carnival DVD could be shown. Copies of the Champagne Video Productions DVD can be obtained from the carnival website at www.

weymouthcarnival.co.uk.

Other companies supporting the raffle included Weymouth’s two Wetherspoon pubs, Value House and Microsoft.

Carnival Queen Natalie Round did the honours handing out the cheques to representatives from the various organisations and those who supported the carnival in some way.

It is estimated the beneficiaries shared in a pot of around £35,000.

There was a diverse range of groups and organisations applying for money, including the people behind the Old Town Hall project, the volunteers from Portland Bill’s Coastwatch team who keep their binoculars on the sea and Spencer Bates’s Spenstock music initiative which supports the Motor Neurone Disease Assoc-iation.

Names of all the groups were put in a hat and the one picked out was presented with the proceeds from the raffle. So as well as receiving a cheque, the Dorset ME Support Group got an extra £400 made from the raffle.

Chairman for 2011 Shaun Hennessy said: “For us, presentation night is all about why we run carnival. It’s a culmination of all the hard work. Now we’re concentrating on next year and I think it will be a hard act to follow.”

He added: “We have our committee and we’ve already started discussing sponsorship opportunities and inquiring about events.

“We’d like to expand the music element next year and hopefully have a series of concerts in the run-up.

“There will also be more aerial events. In fact it will be known as the Weymouth Carnival and Air Show.”

The organisations you helped

Acorns; ADHD; Afghan Heroes; Age Concern Weymouth; Andy Dukes.; Breast Cancer Care; Catholic Women’s League; Chernobyl Kids; Chesil Trust; Citizen’s Advice Bureau (Weymouth); City of London Round Table; Coastwatch Portland Bill.

Dorset Association for the Disabled; DORSAR; Dorset CAPS; Dorset Cruse Bereavement Care; Dorset Dyslexia; Dorset ME Support Group; Dorset Wildlife Trust; Extra Mile.

Friends of Greenhill Gardens; Friends of Radipole Woods; Friends of Rodwell Trail; Glastonbury Carnival Club; Greyhound Rescue; Guardians of the Old Town Hall.

Hope Church; Island of Portland Heritage; Jake Sibbert; Julia’s House; League of Friends Portland & Weymouth; Leukaemia Research; Life Education Wessex; Linden Unit; Littlemoor Community Action Group; MV Freedom; Portland Rowing Club; Portland Sea Cadets.

Ridgeway Day Services; Rotary Clubs of Weymouth, Weymouth Harbourside and Melcombe Regis; Round Table Children’s Wish; Ruby Twirlers; Rushton Dog Centre; Samaritans; SCBU; Scout Active Support Group; Second Chance Furniture; ShelterBox; Soul Food; South West Dorset Talking Newspaper; Spenstock; SSAFA; Steps; St Paul’s Harriers; St Vincent de Paul Society (Weymouth).

The Nothe Fort; The Nothe Fort Artillery; Tornadoes; WDICDSG; Weldmar; Westfield School; Westham Senior Citizens; Weymouth Baptist Church; Weymouth Choral Society; Weymouth Community Volunteers; Weymouth Concert Brass; Weymouth Guides; Weymouth Lifeboat; Weymouth Music Club; Weymouth North Scout Group; Weymouth Pentathletes; Weymouth and Portland Access Group; Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce; Weymouth and Portland Lions; Weymouth and Portland Volunteer Scheme; Weymouth Rugby Club; Weymouth Sea Cadets; Weymouth TOCH; Weysports; WOW; Wyke Gardens.