THE TROUPE of residents who bring carnival fever to the heart of East Oxford each year are calling on more volunteers to help make the extravaganza a success.

Cowley Road Works, the team behind the annual Cowley Road Carnival, is urging festival-lovers to lend their time to celebrations set to take place in just over a week.

The team has said it needs at least 200 volunteers to host the popular festivities but not enough people have yet offered to lend a helping hand.

Claire Bond, who organises the helpers, said: "Volunteers will join the team and be helping to organise Oxfordshire’s most spectacular festival of the year, as well as have a lot of fun.

"If you can’t help on the day, there are other roles and events you could help with on the lead up."

Tens of thousands of revellers are expected to pour into Cowley Road and its nearby streets for the county's biggest street party on Sunday, July 10.

But without a sea of dedicated volunteers supporting the festival in the lead up to the epic celebrations and throughout the day of the event, organisers fear it may not be smooth-running.

School children, community groups and families across the city have spent months crafting procession decorations and energetic performances to celebrate this year's carnival theme All the World’s A Stage - commemorating playwright William Shakespeare.

Lesley Williams, who is the carnival's longest standing volunteer, has devoted her time to ensuring schools remain a core part of the procession along Cowley Road each year.

She has spent recent months supporting the planning of creative workshops with youngsters and organising teacher-training, helping schools get ready to illuminate the street with their rainbow of Shakespeare-themed creations.

Ms Williams said: "Working with the Cowley Road Works team is so exhilarating. It’s important to me for children and young people to be creatively involved in the carnival experience year on year and I’m adamant that schools must look outwards and be part of their community."

Emmanuel Church, in St Clement's has also supported the East Oxford carnival since 2014, offering an endless number of hours to volunteering and raising funds.

Robert Grayson from the church said: "We are delighted to support Cowley Road Carnival once again. We're hoping that 70 or more of us will volunteer again this year. The carnival is a joyful celebration of Oxford's rich cultural diversity and we're eager to see it thrive."

Merrymakers are set to enjoy an eclectic mix of entertainment and food from across the globe when the carnival hits the city between noon and 5pm, including a delightful array of procession performances from 2pm.

To get involved email volunteers@cowleyroadworks.org