00:00The Little Ones showed up and showed out on the Red Cross Children's Carnival stage today with dazzling presentations featuring exotic mystical creatures and of course odes to sweet TNT.
00:30The Red Cross stage also saw creative twists on traditional carnival characters but despite their presentation we found these wild animals to be very domesticated.
00:53We just want the children and them to enjoy themselves this year. We're not really looking for all the prizes and things but once the children come and enjoy themselves we should be okay.
01:05Red Cross Children's Carnival is celebrating 70 years this year and Chairman Randall Halfide tells TV6 News he couldn't be more proud of how far they've come.
01:16What is prevailing here is the Spirit of Carnival and we're watching almost 3,000 children across that stage here today.
01:25As you know in 1956, 70 years ago Lady Beatum, in case you traverse the Beatum Highway, started it under a tree in the Queen's Park Savannah.
01:36So here we are now courtesy of the NCC on the next stage, you can't ask for nothing better. So we're celebrating 70 years. Our goal is to one, produce a show of excellence and two, to buy an ambulance for the Red Cross. So we are trying to fundraise.
01:54Halfide admits however, organizers were a bit worried about this year's presentation given the economic climate. But to their pleasant surprise, their expectations were surpassed.
02:07I should be talking favorites, but I saw Giraffe got some Bokojambis and I saw that stood out for me, you know, for way of design. But there are so many young designers that are coming out into their fore and this is where they all got started.
02:25Peter Mitchell and Wayne Barclay all started right here, who had costumes in here. So it's a lovely spawning ground for young designers, with fresh ideas, a common experience to run the carnival.
02:41He laments that Red Cross was unable to do cash prizes as money is a bit tight, but he says the state has rendered some support.
02:49The support has come wonderfully from the NCC. And with the ministry, we are working very close to the minister. So I know once one becomes available, because we will have bills after, they're trying very hard to help us.
03:04Red Cross is also giving thanks to its sponsors, with special thanks to gold sponsor, One Caribbean Media.
03:12We have additional activities that are fun things for them to do while the waiters come on and after they leave the state. So it's our sponsors, small businesses. They have big giveaways and all these fun things, learning how to still grow, Zoom Zoom Canva, teaching them how to make us. So there's fun on stage, before they hit this stage, and after this stage, all for the children.
03:38Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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