Hughenden comes together for day of "merrie" fun

4:36pm Saturday 19th July 2008

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THE sun was out in force this afternoon for Hughenden Valley's biennial village day.

Hundreds of people flocked to the village hall to watch the entertainment in the outdoor arena, have a go on the coconut shy or wander round the dozens of stalls.

The day was kicked off with a procession of floats and colourfully clad children who weaved their way from Hughenden Valley Primary School in Spring Valley Drive, up to the hall in Coombe Lane.

Crowds gathered along the road, which was shut off by police, to watch the parade go by and then followed on behind into the showground.

The theme to this year's event was Merrie England and St George's flag bunting was flying high around the arena.

Among the entertainment was karate, country dancing and maypole dancing displays, as well as a tug of war.

Youngsters of all ages were kept busy with activities ranging from face painting to football and lazerquest to fairground rides.

And visitors were not just spoilt for choice when it came to the attractions, as various stalls were serving up something to tickle their taste buds, including a barbecue, hog roast and traditional cream teas.

Prizes were up for grabs in the raffle, which was selling off a helicopter flight over London as its top prize.

And the Hughenden Valley Community Shop stall was inviting visitors to guess the price of a shopping list from 1938, to be in with the chance of winning an MP3 player.

Stuart Hulley, chairman of the village day committee, said: "Today's for the village to have fun in a convivial atmosphere. Fortunately the weather's been okay and we have got a lot of people here."

Christine Powell, a member of the village hall committee, has been coming to the village day for more than ten years.

She added: "It's lovely. You can see a lovely crowd and it's not raining, which is a bonus.

"You see people here that you haven't seen for two years, it's the whole village drawn together.

"We had lots of people here yesterday and we will tomorrow clearing up."

A barn dance, complete with dance caller and live band, will round up the celebrations this evening.