by Nicola Forman

Organisers of this year's carnival say they are disappointed so few people put their hand in their pockets.

Chairman of the Sittingbourne Carnival Association, Pam Griggs, said the amount of £583.03 they collected from Saturday’s event was "way down" on previous years.

She said: “We usually average at about £800 or £900 and only once since I’ve been running the carnival have we hit £1,000 but this is way down.

“I don’t know if it’s a sign of the times but people just weren’t putting their hands in their pockets.”

Mr Griggs said she was pleased with the entrants, although they didn’t have any lorries this time.

The carnival returned this year after it had to be cancelled last year because of policing costs, but these were abolished.

Mrs Griggs added: “People were telling us they were pleased the carnival was back but the collection doesn’t reflect this. We need more input from the public if they want this to continue.”

For more pictures from the event, see this week's Sittingbourne Messenger.