HANWORTH has a very proud tradition of community as seen each year by the wonderful carnival held in the region - which has been in existence for nearly 50 years and have tirelessly raised almost £200,000 for Cancer Research UK.

On Saturday March 13 the group got together for their annual dinner at St. Richards Community Centre. During the evening a cheque was presented to Cancer Research UK Community Fundraiser Sally Graham for £5,700 that was raised at last summer's carnival.

Preparations are already well under way for this year's event, which promises to be fun packed and something for the whole community. From bungee runs to pet shows, there really is something for everyone. Dates for the diary are June 29 culminating in the biggest day, Saturday July 3.

The group was co-founded by a key organisers father, Mr Bill Bradbury. His son David eats, breathes and sleeps the carnival and is a true representation of how the group have stuck together despite moves, new additions and marriages.

The Chair of the group, Andrew Morgan-Watts said: "The carnival is an important part of Hanworth and its sense of community. It is a lot of work for us and we desperately need to get younger groups from the area involved to ensure the traction continues for another fifty years. When locals mention carnival they call it "our" carnival so it would be nice to see that reflected in sharing the workload."

Cancer Research UK Community Fundraiser for SouthWest London, Sally Graham said: "The Hanworth Carnival is an important annual fundraising event for Cancer Research UK and we are aiming to make this year's the most successful yet. The great thing is everyone can get involved, from school children to office workers and retired folk. We need the local community to help us achieve our fundraising target of £10,000, so anyone interested in getting involved should call us on 0207 061 8559 - today to receive contact details of those already involved and a fundraising pack."