and the council was renamed Hedge End Town Council. Hedge End is twinned with Comines-Warneton, in Belgium. The twinning charter was signed in 1994, but very little twinning activity takes place. On 21 May 2011 Marwell Wildlife was called in by Hampshire Constabulary to advise how to tranquillise a white tiger lurking in grass in the village. The tiger turned out to be a life-size cuddly toy. Demography The population grew rapidly from an estimated 1,000 in the 1950s to around 17,978 in 2001. New residential areas continued to be developed into the 21st century, with new houses having been built at the former Dowd's Farm site adjacent to Grange Park, next to Kings Copse and Cranbourne Park. The nearby village of Botley was better established than Hedge End, but when the M27 was built, living close to the new motorway became more desirable. In 2005 an oil company sought permission to search for oil reserves. These have not been exploited, due to their proximity to the residential area. The company, as of February 2010, was continuing to seek ways to access the oil. A community theatre/cinema called The Berry Theatre has been built at Wildern School with support from Eastleigh Borough Council. It was funded by the Borough and Town Councils, seats 300 and was completed in 2011. Culture and community Carnival The first Hedge End Carnival was held in 1921 to raise money to pay for the services of a nurse, as there were no medical facilities in Hedge End at that time. Records do not exist to show whether or not a Carnival took place every year and it is thought that during the Second World War, there was no Carnival. The Carnival currently takes place annually on the first Saturday of July. The week leading up to Carnival Day sees events and entertainment organised by the Hedge End Carnival Committee, and has included a quiz night, scavenger hunt, dog show, Bingo, heritage walks and children's sports day. Other events throughout the year include a Senior Citizens' lunch in October, open to all pensioners in Hedge End; a Fireworks Fiesta and Fun Fair in November; and quiz nights. On Carnival Day, the Carnival Queen is crowned by a local dignitary, and leads the Carnival procession, accompanied by the Carnival Court consisting of princes and princesses, through the streets of Hedge End. All profits raised by the Carnival