THE CROWDS turned out in force as thousands of people flocked to enjoy all the fun of the fair at the eighth annual Popley Festival.

The event, in the grounds of John Hunt of Everest Community School, was organised by locals to raise money for Popley-based good causes.

Among the attractions were charity stalls, a beer tent, hot dog and ice cream vans, live bands and an enormous car boot sale.

Basingstoke firemen John Corbett, Paul Burton, Dave Johnson and Dave Purves turned up to talk about safety issues and let local kids get a taste of the action behind the wheel of their engine.

Meanwhile, those who fancied sampling life on the ocean waves gathered to talk to representatives of the RNLI who had set up a stall along with mascot Jamie Clark, who sported their head-to-toe lifesaving kit.

Among the other local organisations represented on the day were the Boys Brigade, Caribbean Association and the Adventure Rangers.

Kick-boxing club Cannings Martial Arts, who meet at Popley Community Centre, demonstrated some of their high kicking skills in a specially constructed boxing ring. Kyle Cannings, 13, the current World United Martial Arts Champion, was among those showing off their moves.

Lots of four-legged friends mingled with the crowds, as many animal clubs and charities joined the fun. The Winklebury-based Pet Education and Training Club gave an impressive display of dog obedience skills, while other proud dog owners showed off their pets during a lurcher show.

Local charity STARescue had a tent offering discounted micro-chipping which can help to return stray pets to their owners.

The sun shone on the day and a record number of people turned up, leading all involved to hail this year's festival as a huge success.

"Everything went really well and the people that we have spoken to are very happy that so many people came along," said Suki Binning, from John Hunt of Everest School, who helped to organise the event.