INTERMITTENT showers failed to dampen the spirits of the thousands who turned up to St George’s Fayre, March, and voted it the best and most successful to date.

The sheer scale of the event and the packed programme spread across several venues created problems of a good kind for visitors- like where to start, how we can be sure not to miss anything and how often to stop for something to eat! There were some who preferred the market square with pipe bands, street dancers, vintage bike display, molly dancers and majorettes – not forgetting of course local singers and actors- but there was plenty elsewhere too.

The library mound once more proved popular with parents with small children as magic shows, Punch and Judy, and a circus skills workshop ensured continuous roars of approval from visitors of all ages.

Then, of course, there was the prominence of St Peter’s Church which hosted a craft fair, and other stalls such as the Rotary Club demonstrating an extraordinary box for which they raise money and which is used extensively in disaster areas around the world.

March Museum, too, came into its own and attracted a steady stream of visitors both to the static displays and to live farrier workshops at the rear.

Think of everything you’d wish for in a family day out – from a funfair to face painting, from animals to acrobatics, and from story telling to search for a star- and March had it all and in abundance.

But don’t take our word for it: capture the day through our gallery of photographs which summarise the essence of a quintessentially English celebration.

Mike Chapman,FDC’s markets and events manager, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled by the success of this year’s Fayre and by another amazing turnout.

“Each year we add and adapt things to make the event more exciting for the thousands of visitors and give them something new. This year’s was undoubtedly the best yet.

“We’d like to thank all the community groups and all the volunteers who put in a huge amount of time and effort to help us make this a great day out for the whole community.

“Now we’ll be looking to make next year’s even better.”

PHOTOS: Charles David Photography of March