A FLEET of wheelbarrows were needed to ferry campers’ belongings on to the Ely Folk Festival site at the weekend, as organisers fought to ensure that the event ran smoothly, despite soaking conditions.

And although the siting of visiting caravans and motor homes also had to be rearranged because of the poor weather, the 27th festival has been heralded as one of the best ever, with around 1,500 festival goers enjoying the family friendly event over three days.

Committee member John Switsur said: “We had a really good turn out, and we have had some excellent feed back from both artists and visitors. With the wet weather to contend with, the stars of the show were the stewards who worked amazingly hard all weekend. Without them, we could not have run the festival.”

The five-piece bluegrass band The Woodberrys kicked off Friday night’s show, after winning a competition run by the festival, in conjunction with the Ely Standard. Headline acts on Friday were Richard Digance and Jez Lowe & the Big Band Pennies.

On Saturday, morris dancers took to the streets of Ely to entertain shoppers in the morning, and in the afternoon there were morris dancing workshops and displays on site. Top acts to perform on Saturday included Show of Hands, Breabach, and Nancy Kerr and James Fagan.

The festival showcased a number of local bands, and throughout the weekend there were ceilidhs, children’s entertainment, and workshops for singing, guitar playing and dancing. The event ended on Sunday with an excellent set from The Blues Band.

John added: “A good number of people stayed right through to Sunday evening, there was a really good crowd. It was one of the best festivals we have run, a real family event with a great atmosphere. We are already making plans for next year’s festival and have a few bands booked.”