TORRENTIAL downpours didn’t dampen the charcoal burn – or visitors’ spirits – at the Dean Heritage Centre.

There was plenty to keep everybody entertained from ‘green wood working’ to the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, as the Soudley-based tourist attraction saw a ‘nice flow’ of people.

Assistant manager Emma Smith, who joined the centre a month ago, said: “The event was a great success and we welcomed a nice flow of visitors to the centre for a day of fun. The weather fortunately didn’t affect the burn, which was monitored around the clock by volunteers over three days. Some of our returning volunteers come from as far as Essex to celebrate a tradition that is rarely practised across the UK.

“It was a great event to be a part of, as I slowly step into the shoes of centre manager, Mark Clancy, who sadly, due to personal reasons, is leaving in late autumn. He will stay very much a friend of the centre.”