Opinion: Weston’s Renewal: From Carnival Lights to Quarry Heights

How community effort, culture and investment are reshaping our town.

by Paul Howe

Weston-super-Mare is changing before our eyes — not through grand announcements, but through real progress happening right here in our own town. This year’s carnival reminded me of something important: when Weston comes together, we don’t just celebrate — we rebuild, reinvigorate and rise.

Living here, I’m struck by how much is being achieved through local effort. The carnival shines brighter each year thanks to the volunteers, the creative teams behind the floats and the visitors it attracts — all while raising money for local charities.

But beyond the lights and music, Weston is undergoing a wider regeneration. Our MP, Daniel Aldridge, has played a key role in securing major investment, including £5 million to finally restore Birnbeck Pier and £2.5 million to support the Tropicana’s cultural redevelopment, helping move long-stalled projects into real action.

And equally impressive is what’s happening further up the hillside at the Old Town Quarry. After years of uncertainty, the site is being transformed into a place where heritage, wildlife, creativity and community meet. With nearly £700,000 secured from the Government’s Community Ownership Fund, plus a further £200,000 invested by Weston-super-Mare Town Council, the Quarry is being restored with real vision and purpose.

Labour councillor Ciarán Cronnelly has publicly welcomed its reopening and championed the community value of the project — highlighting that regeneration works best when it’s driven by people who truly care about this town.

The Quarry now features refurbished studios, improved pathways, artist spaces and careful environmental work to protect the peregrine falcons, ravens and rare butterflies that make it unique. It proves that rejuvenation doesn’t always mean flattening and rebuilding; sometimes it means nurturing what’s already here.

These projects — the Carnival, the Tropicana, the Pier and the Quarry — show that Weston is becoming a place where history and progress walk confidently side by side.

So as we celebrate the carnival and the good it brings to local charities, let’s also recognise the bigger truth: Weston-super-Mare is rising. And if we continue to back local investment, support creativity, protect our landscape and hold both councillors and MPs to account, we can shape a future that is not only proud of its past — but bold and ambitious about what comes next. Let’s keep that momentum going.