Twyford Village Fete a 'resounding success' as it returns for eighth year

More than 1,500 people flocked to Twyford Village Fete on Saturday to enjoy an array of activities and attractions from circus skills workshops to Punch and Judy.

Organised for the community by Twyford Parish Council, the popular fete marked its eighth year and was opened by Twyford’s Citizen of the Year Ian Wisdom as the village’s very own VIP.

Visitors were given a short welcome by parish council chairman Martin Alder before mobile skate park company King Ramps delighted spectators with their first skateboard and bike show of the day.

There were plenty of activities on offer to provide hours of fun for youngsters.

These included a petting farm, hoverboards, go-karts, zorbs and an inflatable assault course.

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) supported the event by arranging for the Dinton Activity Centre climbing wall, a bouncy castle and a face painter to feature at the event.

There was more fun to be enjoyed free-of-charge as the WBC My Journey team brought along their bike smoothie maker.

More than 50 stallholders from a range of businesses and organisations came to join the occasion and do some fundraising.

‘Dr Bike’ was also on hand to carry out safety checks on bikes to ensure they were road safe.

The Master of Ceremonies, Nick Fish co-ordinated the popular tug of war, while the Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre managed the dog show in aid of their charity.

There were more than 40 cars featured in the car show and visitors voted for their favourite.

The winner in the Early Years (pre-1945) category was the Austin 10, while the Ford MK1 Consul Convertible took top prize in the Early Post WWII Classics (1945-1978) category.

In the Later Classics (1979-2008) category, the Ford Escort XR3i was chosen as the winner, while the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 came out on top in the Sports (GT or similar) category.

The Austin 10 took top prize as the overall winner.

The parish council has thanked Stanlake Park Wine Estate for providing the prizes for the car show winners.

There was plenty of live music to keep visitors to Stanlake Meadow entertained, including the band BoxSet who proved to be very popular and were joined on stage by their apprentice drummers.

It is estimated that around £2,000 was raised through the event for local charities.

The fete also provided an opportunity to promote the Twyford Skatepark project which looks to create a new skatepark to replace the current facility at King George V Recreation Ground.

There is currently a crowdfunding page set up which aims to raise additional funds for the project.

At the event, £260 was donated towards the project and an additional £90 was raised by Bulldog Twyford through their ‘guess the number of beach balls’ in the KGM Musso.

There were 185 beach balls, and the winner is set to receive a £50 voucher.

All the beach balls were handed out to youngsters at the end of the event.

Martin Alder, chairman to Twyford Parish Council and the community events and engagement committee, said: “We are delighted to announce that the fete was a resounding success.

"The weather was perfect, and the atmosphere was lively. It was heartening to see the entire community come together, enjoying the day and supporting one another.

"Events like these truly bring out the best in our community, and we couldn't have asked for a better turnout or a more positive spirit."

The next fete is due to take place on August 16 2025, and those interested in helping can contact the deputy clerk at deputy.clerk@twyfordparishcouncil.gov.uk