THERE was a day of fun and games for the residents of Cricklade on Sunday as the annual town festival took place.

This year the theme was the swinging sixties, so people were dressed in an array of brightly coloured costumes, with music from the era being provided by local bands and singers.

Stalls lined High Street offering food and games, while a nearby school field was full of family activities, such as bouncy castles, music and magic shows and fairground attractions.

Now in its seventh year, the event is attended by hundreds of people coming from far and wide to soak up the fun atmosphere.

Jeff May, of Moredon, was there with his wife and daughter. He said: “My family are originally from Cricklade so we have an interest in the town. It’s good fun and my daughter, who is five, is enjoying everything. There is a really good atmosphere .”

Although the sun was hiding for most of the day, the rain held off and the warm temperatures added to the carnival atmosphere.

“I think this is absolutely marvellous,” said Josie Whittingham, 67. “Every year it gets better and better and it’s the same this year.

“One of the main reasons it is such a success is because it is so well organised. When you look around all you can see is people, no matter how old they are, just having fun.”

The whole occasion is organised by a committee of volunteers and the chairman, Nigel Wynne, was quick to praise the efforts of all those who made it a success.

He said: “This year has been really good and I just want to say thank you to all of the people who have helped get everything together and those who have volunteered as marshalls.

“Without them we wouldn’t be able to pull this off. This is a festival for the people of Cricklade which is why I think it is so popular.

“It is a free event with something for everyone which is quite rare these days. Each year we choose a theme which allows people to dress up so we’ve gone with the sixties which seems to have gone down really well.

“As soon as we have finished this year we will start getting next year’s event ready, which will hopefully be just as good if not better.”