Thousands of people made the trip to Colyford over the weekend to enjoy the village’s annual goose fayre celebration.

Locals dressed in medieval finery, and visitors to the event, marched down the temporarily closed A3052 to the fayre ground at Springfield, before they were welcomed to the fayre by the Colyford mayor and his lady, John and Vicky Mills.

A spokesman for the goose fayre said: “More than 2,000 adults bought an event programme for £3 and the children going free flooded into Springfield to be entertained by wandering minstrels, Morrismen, and medieval dancers, knights in armour, archery, cider press, donkeys, birds of prey, a thatcher, and skittles

“The main attraction for the children was to ride the quintain, lance in hand they dreamed of defeating knights as the galloped down the hill on a trusty steed.

“Circus skills, raconteurs and Punch and Judy kept them spellbound too.”

After the event, a big clear-up got under way on the Saturday night.

The spokesman added: “Our sincere thanks goes to all the local helpers, ladies for organising everything from refreshments to sorting waste, the men labouring to organise the fayre ground such as erecting stalls, handling straw bales.

“All of their hard work is greatly appreciated and without it, the fayre wouldn’t happen.”

The weekend closed with a thanksgiving service in St Michael’s Chapel of Ease, with the congregation dressed in their medieval finery.

Organisers of this year’s event are hopeful to top the amount raised at last year’s fayre, which was a little in excess of £12,000.

Next year’s goose fayre will be held on September 30, 2017.