Carnival stars shone through the rain.

There was special praise for the walking entrants who maintained a remarkably high standard despite the conditions.

A carnival spokesman told The Herald: “We were extremely pleased to have a lot of young people taking part in the carnival this year. The Majorettes were true professionals - how they marched and twirled their batons. Even the very small ones kept up and managed to smile.

“Karizma Majorettes had new costumes and wore them for the first time on Saturday. The girls looked extremely pretty but the rain didn’t do their costumes any good. This was a great pity because they cost around �5,000.

“We would like to say a big thank to everyone who took part in the procession, judges, marshalls and the general public for turning out on a very wet Saturday night. Well done Axminster for making carnival night a great success.

“We counted the very wet money on Sunday and were pleased what we managed to raise. Although this is down on last year it is very good considering the weather and economic situation – thanks to all who donated.”