Freda: Littlehampton's perpetual carnival queen

A LOCAL hero through and through, a Littlehampton crusader for the community has been handed an award.

Freda Hughes is president of Littlehampton Carnival Committee, and has helped organise the event since its inception, in its current form, 35 years ago.

Modestly she said: "I could not do what I do without the committee, who are wonderful, and work so hard to make sure that we have a carnival each year.

"I just sit at the computer and answer phone calls, the others are the ones who are out and about, almost every weekend, fundraising."

Freda was presented with the Spirit FM West Sussex Lifetime Dedication Award, at a ceremony held at Avisford Park Hotel, Arundel, last week.

She said that the idea to relaunch Littlehampton's carnival, which had been stopped by former organisers, the Littlehampton Rotary Club about three years previously, came in 1973.

"I remember in one the early years, we had a five-a-side football competition, which the fire brigade took part in, dressed as St Trinian's."Half-way through, they got a call-out, and had to rush off in their costumes!"