THOUSANDS descended on Harwell’s Recreation Ground for an annual village extravaganza featuring a parade of floats, historical re-enactments and a celebrity visit.

Some 4,000 villagers turned up for the Harwell Feast yesterday to enjoy a wide range of activities including a display of vintage cars, exotic animals and a host of stalls and performances.

The festivities continued until about 5pm with all proceeds raised from the day going back into a wide range of community projects.

Sharon Palmer of the Harwell Feast Committee praised the turnout for the day and said it had been one of the most popular Feast’s yet.

She said: “It has gone brilliantly today. It has been better than ever before and I am really pleased with the amount of people that have turned up for it.

“We have a lot of happy, smiley faces here today.”

Although the staunch volunteer would not be drawn on a figure for the amount they had raised for the day she said that all proceeds went to making a difference in the local community.

She added: “There are 10 of us on the committee and it is a result of the generosity of our friends and volunteers that help us.

“And we are always looking for new people to come and help us and make a difference.”

On the day Vicar of Dibley writer Paul Mayhew Archer who lives nearby, was on hand to open the event at High Street around 11am before the festivities got underway.

Once the Feast was opened there was a car boot sale on site as well as a vintage vehicle display.

The British Plate Armour Society and the Order of the Crows also turned out to show off their authentic historical armour equipment and perform mock battles for revellers.

New for the Feast this year was live music featuring local band Frogstar.