DANCING in the streets proved more tricky than usual in Ross on Wye during the May Fayre on bank holiday Monday – simply because there was almost no street space to dance in as tens of thousands of people flocked to the town and, literally, filled the roads and pavements.

Event organiser David McGregor, of the organic Field Fayre shop on Broad Street commented: "It was quite extraordinary to see, Ross town centre filled to capacity. It's very hard to calculate quite how many were there but its in the thousands. All the roads that we closed for the event were packed. It was wonderful, there was absolutely no trouble at all - and the only injury was a chap who tripped over and cut his chin.

"It was a great atmosphere, and the best thing is that it was completely free. In the end we had to turn away more stalls, as there simply was no more room in the town."

Organised by the Association of Ross Traders (ART), the whole of the town centre was closed to traffic, from Gloucester Road and the High Street through the Crofts and Broad Street down to the bottom of Station Street. For entertainment there were three main stages, plus theatre and street performers on every corner. A 'pop up' zoo was set up by the Wild Animal Centre in the Y-Zone centre in Hill Street – and was besieged by children once news got out that amongst the menagerie were snakes, giant lizards, rabbits and a family of cute meerkats - which were incredibly popular with all ages.

'Living statues', caricature characters, a drumming workshop, a talent competition, punch and judy show, a display of classsic cars, magicians, jugglers and dancers, plus rows of colourful craft and food stalls completed the picture, while the pubs and hotels did a roaring trade as the mass of people sought rest and refreshments.

Boosted by large numbers of people who were also following the raft race down the River Wye, the crowds at the Fayre were also attracted by the fact that the organisers had negotiated free parking at public car parks for the day.