by Johnny Lewis kmfm Thanet

Kiss Me Quick hats, seaside rock, saucy postcards, candyfloss and funfairs - great images that evoke the dear old British seaside at its bright, brash and breezy best.

And this weekend another of the great icons of Margate's summer gets ready to burst onto the streets in a blaze of colour, music, dance and fun.

Yes, it is carnival time once more and on Sunday afternoon (August 2) dozens of floats, bands, groups and costumed individuals will parade along the seafront from around 3pm.

What the public see is a free parade that is a boisterous celebration of all that is good about summer at the seaside - what they don't see is the months of hard work organising the floats, making sure the route is safe and well-marshalled, liaising with the various carnival courts around the region to make sure they can all turn up, and dealing with a hundred and one other unforeseen snags that could easily throw a spanner in the works.

But Margate is lucky in that respect - it has Mick Tomlinson at the helm of the carnival, as he has been for more years that he cares to remember.

Now Mick is a modest bloke and he won't say this, but us guys here at kmfm and the Isle of Thanet Extra reckon he is a real diamond for the town. He deserves to be recognised for all the hours of unstinting and unselfish work he has put in to promote the area for decades.

He has been a constant champion for Margate, particularly through the dark days before rejuvenation and the arts scene started knocking on the door.

He never gave up faith in dear old Margate, and we salute him.

Give him a big cheer and a wave if you see him as the carnival passes by - or at the carnival dance in the evening.

Without him, it is a pretty fair bet that there would not be a carnival.

Catch up with Johnny during the week from 7am-11am and on The Vinyl years every Sunday from 7pm. Emailjlewis@kmfm.co.uk