Plans to revive carnival after more than a decade

Lowestoft Carnival has not taken place since 2012

A community theatre has begun to make plans to revive an annual carnival that finished more than a decade ago.

Seagull Theatre has invited local residents to take part in a public consultation on its proposal to bring back Lowestoft Carnival in 2025.

The event ran for about four decades, the final time being in 2012 after organisers of the 2013 event cancelled it due to a "lack of support and interest".

The theatre's assistant manager, Des Reynolds, said: "We have a proposal we want to run past our community, and ultimately that's what that whole bid is about, to get the community support.

Des Reynolds said there were "unique challenges" to planning a large carnival event

Plans for the revived event will be revealed to residents at a public consultation on 20 October.

Mr Reynolds explained there were "unique challenges" to planning the carnival and warned: "There will be compromises, and some elements of the carnival we propose for 2025 will not be the same as events of the past.

"Having done some work on setting up this carnival, there are a lot of challenges running a big public event, particularly in these days when there are a lot of health and safety [issues] to check off.

"Luckily, we have been running events for the last two or three years and feel like we have the expertise to run it."

The Seagull Theatre is a not-for-profit community-run theatre in Pakefield, Lowestoft

The theatre said it had completed initial discussions with East Suffolk Council but wanted to check if a revival of the carnival would have public support.

He added that local organisations have already asked to have floats at the carnival, and there has been a "groundswell" of public support.

Mr Reynolds told BBC Radio Suffolk: "It's certainly a long-standing event. There's pictures and images going back into the 60s.

"We're very keen; it's a traditional carnival for Lowestoft... It's supposed to be for the Lowestoft community to celebrate everything they enjoy and love about our town."