A BASINGSTOKE community centre’s summer festival has returned after a two-year hiatus due to Covid.
The Hatch Warren Community Centre held its sixth annual Summer Festival on Saturday, July 16.
The festival was the first one that the community centre had held since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The free festival acted as a fundraising event, with all the money raised going to support the Hatch Warren Community Centre, as well as its satellite branch the Beggarwood Community Centre.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: Thousands attend community centre's first fundraising festival in two years
Taking place on the fields of the Hatch Warren Community Centre, the festival featured 110 activities and attractions, including craft stalls, Zorb football, and various free activities set up and run by the local Scout group.
Event organiser Karen Coomber said that she believed the event “went very well”.
Karen also wanted to thank the volunteers who helped set up and run the festival, saying: “It takes about 30 people to 40 people to put it together in the morning.
“Huge thanks from myself and the community centre, because without them we simply would not be able to do it.
“A lot of people give donations to the tombola as well, so that enables us to run a tombola which brings more money in.
“As I said, without those people who are able to give their time and things for the tombola we simply would not be able to run the festival.”
The festival also had several special guests, with The Mayor and Mayoress of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Paul Miller and Sandra Miller both attending.
Other notable guests included borough councillors Dan Putty and Samir Kotecha, county councillor Stephen Reid and Dame Maria Miller MP.
SEE ALSO: PHOTOS: More than 1,500 people attend 'Rathayatra' in Basingstoke
Karen said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to the Mayor and the Lady Mayoress of Basingstoke and Deane.
“They came down, and they were originally only going to spend a couple of hours with us, but they were with us for the whole day, and they were brilliant.
“They wondered round, and it was lovely to meet with them.
“And it was lovely to see the councillors supporting the event as well, in particular Samir Kotecha, who was there in the morning helping us to set up, which is lovely community spirit as well.”
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