Thatcham Family Fun Day celebrates 25th flagship event
Thatcham Town Council celebrated another record turnout at its free flagship event hosted at Henwick Worthy Sports Ground on Sunday (June 29).
Thousands of residents attended the town’s 25th annual Family Fun Day to enjoy family favourites such as the funfair, inflatables, zorbing as well as performances by Juggling Jake and Punch and Judy.
New attractions adding to this year’s festivities included the Under 5’s Tent and Acoustic Tent featuring live performances and open mic sessions. The Dog Show was cancelled due to the heat.
The event, visited by 12,000 people last year, ended with the youngers’ Fun Run and the vibrant Pride Parade, now an event staple.
Nine-year-old Joseph, from Thatcham, spoke to newburytoday during the festivities.
He said: “I really liked the classic cars. The Lamborghini is my favourite.”
Maria, eight, from Thatcham, also shared her thoughts on the day: “I’ve done a few of the rides. I’m really enjoying it.”
Sisters Natasha, 12, and Alex, seven, had attended the event before and said they were excited to see their friends perform in the Acoustic Tent.
But there was also respite for the adults too, with plenty of tasty street food, craft beer and cocktails on offer.
And Thatcham resident Jenny Kirby, who runs Thatcham Refillable, was cycling around with water on hand to help visitors keep hydrated on a hot day.
Mayor of Thatcham Petra Pemberton reflected on the event once it ended: “I kicked off the event with a speech, thanking all sponsors, stallholders and volunteers who helped with the parking.
“I watched the KATS (Kennet Amateur Theatrical Society) performance on the stage. There was also a choir singing. I did the warm-up dance for the Pride March and was there with Suzanne dancing along in the Pride March.
“It was a really lovely day. I did manage to go over and award the prizes for the car show. Fortunately for me, someone else had done the judging.”
And her highlight of the day? Mrs Pemberton added: “Seeing the children’s faces, that was fabulous. I love the old cars as well. And the the dancers were fabulous.
“I was here there and everywhere. It was just a really nice family fun day.
“We had our little pickers who are always so helpful. They went round and picked up all the rubbish throughout the day.
“I even had my boys come along and we were picking up the rubbish as well.”
The event also welcomed up to 200 classic cars and motorbikes, courtesy of Thatcham and District Rotary Club.
Community and vocations chairman Bob Champion said: “We were very thankful to Xtrac for their support and to the soup kitchen for providing cool refreshments on a hot day.”
The club’s next event will be its annual duck race on Sunday, September 7, raising money for Swings & Smiles, which was selling race tickets at the Fun Day.
