Malborough’s village fete was buzzing with activity on Saturday afternoon.

Preparations for the fete had been underway all morning and by noon, the first of the visitors started to arrive. With plenty to see and do within the Village Hall, people took their time to wend their way around, buying various item and studying the history exhibition.

The refreshment team worked tirelessly to keep up with demand for ploughman’s lunches, cream teas, homemade cake and hot drinks. Many visitors chose to sit at a table to enjoy their food and listen to the live music ably performed by John Sterry and his group.

Children with sparkly hair braids and artistically painted faces could be seen moving around the hall, having visited the Malborough Primary School PTFA and pre-school stall.

For something a little bit different, there were pilates demonstrations in the annexe, where people learnt about the health benefits of this exercise.

The barbecue and coconut shy were sheltered from the wind outside the hall, and were very successful. And John and Jan Yeoman, who were running the ‘bowl for a pig’, braved the weather all afternoon without any cover, exceeding all expectations.

Some keen tennis enthusiasts managed to compete with the tennis ball machine before ‘rain stopped play’ and the bouncy castle managed to stay grounded for the youngsters to enjoy.

The children of Malborough with South Huish Primary School kept their ribbons taut as they danced around the maypole, performing expertly in the weather conditions. And while the sport organisers had trouble extricating participants from the warmth of the hall, those who did manage to take part enjoyed the various challenges.

Gail Allen, one of the organisers said: “Approximately £1,600 was raised for Malborough Village Hall and Playing Fields Association.

“This sort of figure can only be achieved with hard work by those involved and with the support of the local community and various sponsors.

“For that, we sincerely thank you all.”