KENDAL residents were left perplexed by an unusual noise on Tuesday evening.

The sound of drumming could be heard coming from the direction of the castle.

It has been revealed that the noise was the result of musicians practising for this year's Kendal Torchlight Carnival.

Members of Drum Nation, a samba drumming collective, were on Castle Hill fine-tuning their skills.

The Torchlight Carnival attracts thousands of people to the town each year, offering a weekend of entertainment that includes a costumed procession on the Friday.

This year's event, scheduled for September, will take place in a new format amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Among the changes is the separation of the traditional, singular procession into four parts, each coming from a different area of Kendal.