A FREE festival founded to re-surface a village hall car park has celebrated its most successful year yet.

An estimated 3,000 people flocked to this year's fifth annual WADS Stock at Wootton and Dry Sandford Community Centre near Abingdon on Saturday.

They weren't put off even when the heavens opened and helped to raise £5,000 in one afternoon towards the community centre and Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

Organiser Karen Fysh, who founded the fun day in 2013, said: "It was absolutely brilliant.

"Even with a bit of rain from the late afternoon onwards it didn't dampen their spirits: people put up their hoods and umbrellas and carried on watching choirs and Morris men.

"It was massive: we easily had 2,500 to 3,000 people."

When Mrs Fysh set up the shindig five years ago, it was a modest, music-only event inside the village hall.

She recalled: "When we started it we desperately needed to resurface the car park and we weren't going to do it with coffee mornings alone.

"I had the idea of a music festival and I've been doing it ever since."

After a friend of her son had a horrendous motorbike accident where his life was saved by the air ambulance, she decided the festival should raise money for two good causes.

In the following years the footfall grew and grew, and the party spilled out onto the surrounding playing fields.

It has now raised a total of £11,000 for the two charities, and the village hall car park has not only been re-surfaced, it has been extended.

The team have now set their sights on a major refurbishment for the tired multi-use games area.

That is despite the fact the festival remains – and will remain – completely free to punters.

To raise money, Mrs Fysh and her fellow organisers sell programmes, raise sponsorship from local firms and charge pitch fees to the various companies which set up stall.

Asked for some of this year's highlights she said the Caldarium motorcycle club had once again impressed everyone with a 'fantastic display'.

She said: "They have supported us every year: they meet at Peartree Park and Ride in Oxford then come down in convoy and stay for the whole afternoon.

"They chat with people, let people sit on the bikes and let children have their photo taken."

Other highlights came from this year's three Morris sides as well as live music from local artists, classic cars and a lot of beer and cider.

Mrs Fysh also said she wanted to thank the team of 35 volunteers, mostly from the two villages, 'without whom the festival couldn't happen'.