Thatcham's 12th annual festival kicks off with dance, craft and food

Town mayor, Mike Cole, opened the festival in the Broadway by thanking the “weather fairies” for doing their job and keeping the skies clear.
After the opening weekend he said that he believed that Thatcham had a very strong community spirit and that the festival was held to be able to engage people within the town and to show the “fantastic” things that people volunteering in the town had to offer.
He said: “The community feel has to be continually worked on to enable the community to thrive rather than just being a collection of houses.
“It also gives people the chance to showcase their talents.”
During the opening day on Saturday, charities and group stalls filled the Broadway offering games, information and a bit of self promotion of what they had to offer.
These included Newbury Astronomical Society, Newbury and District Cats Protection and Thatcham Fairtrade.
There were also performances from SWAY Dancers, Matt Fiddes Martial Arts, Northcroft Brass, Rock Choir and Santa Maria Bellydance.
For more reaction and photographs, see Thursday's Thatcham News.