It was with some trepidation that I got out of bed on Saturday morning as I could hear the rumbles of thunder.  It didn’t bode well for the Tilbury carnival.  However, enthusiasm was not dampened.  I arrived at the anchor field at the same time as the sunshine and carnival commenced with great success.  Congratulations to all involved.  There were some 400 participants in the carnival procession.  All the organisations were from Tilbury.

There are plenty in our borough who talk Tilbury down, but the community spirit is second to none.  So when Tilbury residents said ‘lets bring back carnival’, Tilbury on Thames Trust stepped up to the occasion, confident that the community would get involved.  It is fantastic that the Port of Tilbury gives so much support to the community through the Trust and I am very proud to play my part in it.

Our borough motto, ‘from Thames to all peoples of the world’ captures the spirit of Carnival completely.  Our ports are the gateway to the world and have played an important role in our nation’s history.  From the £10 poms that left and the Windrush migrants that arrived; in Tilbury’s 130 plus years it has a contribution which should be rightly celebrated.  And so it will be.  We on the Tilbury on Thames Trust are determined to do so.  So I look forward to many more occasions where Tilbury leads the borough in celebration, getting involved, and just having fun.