PATIENCE paid off for those who braved the rain to take part in the Weymouth Carnival procession.

Winners of the eight categories have now been announced, with several floats taking home several awards.

Organisers delayed announcing the winners due to the poor weather.

Procession manager Lee Armstrong said it was ‘an incredible turnout and a phenomenal atmosphere’.

He thanked all the entrants for their patience on the day.

“Weather just didn’t dampen spirits at all. The procession just kept getting pushed back and pushed back but all the entrants were so patient. It just didn’t seem fair to keep everyone waiting around even longer while we announced the winners, so we decided to do it a few days later.”

Awards will be handed out at the beneficiaries night, which is set to take place in the next few months, although a date has not yet been set.

This year’s carnival procession attracted 40 entrants from across Weymouth and Dorset.

Lee said: “The themes were so wide ranging and completely dynamic, it was an incredible turnout. It was so jubilant and such a phenomenal atmosphere.”

The day was extra special for Lee, who served his last year as procession manager and will move onto a new role in the carnival next year.

He said: “I’ve been procession manager for the past three years and it was a great high to go out on.”

Organisers are still counting the money raised for charity at the event, but this is expected to be announced in the next few days.

The winners of the charity category were the Unicorn Carnival Club, with Air 107.2 winning silver and Dorset Wildlife Trust winning bronze.

Chickerell FC won the youth group category with AFC Chesil FC scooping silver and the Odyssey Majorettes winning bronze.

The walking entry was won by the Second Edition Majorettes with Jurassic Coast Raptors in second place and Dorset Wildlife Trust in third.

The Closet scooped the gold award for the licensed premises category and the chairman’s award was won by Chickerell Carnival Club with Active Mobility winning silver and Stagecoach Parties winning bronze.

Derrick Dawson won the individual award with his Bat Mobile with Gnomes by Merv Sharp in second place and Field Gun Display in third.

The crowd pleaser category was won by the Closet with Chickerell Carnival Club winning silver and Stagecoach Parties winning bronze.

The Dave Price Memorial Shield, a new award in memory of late hotelier Dave Price, was won by the Curve.