MUSIC, theatre, workshops and exhibitions combined to make this year's Hatherleigh Festival a roaring success.

The festival, held between Thursday and Sunday last week, has taken a year to arrange and provided fun and entertainment for the entire family.

Claire Gladstone, who organised the festival with Jamie Bush, said after the event she was 'happy but shattered'.

'It was absolutely brilliant. I think we attracted quite a lot of people from outside Hatherleigh, which is half the point because we want to bring trade in, but we did get a lot of people in who probably wouldn't normally go to a festival, which was great. It was a really good community turnout.'

Free exhibitions were held throughout the Festival in the Salar Gallery, Acorns Café and the Old Schools and there were performances by Hatherleigh School choir and Silver Band.

The under fives were treated to a picnic with Blossom the Clown and a children's art workshop proved very popular.

'We had 50 children come to it, all drawing with charcoal — it was really good,' said Claire.

During Friday evening, the Exeter Timepiece Comedy Club was a sell-out and on Saturday, the Small Scale Theatre performed Reduced Du Maurier — a collection of three plays based on novels by the famous author.

'It was very funny — they really are very talented,' said Claire.

Street theatre in the form of Bob and Bob Jobbins also proved a hit — he cruised around the town clad in a replica spitfire, or more surprisingly, dressed as a gin-swigging toff in a comfy chair.

'He was my favourite,' said Claire. 'He had this motorised armchair, complete with booze optics — he was like the Pied Piper. He had children and adults following him around the town, they were absolutely mesmerised!'

A workshop with members of the Zimbabwean band Spirit Talk Mbira was held during Saturday afternoon, enabling participants to have a go at playing the instruments before the band performed in the evening.

The event was rounded off with an electrifying concert by 50s style rhythm and blues band The Nightporters.

'Absolutely everyone was dancing — it was fantastic,' said Claire, who thanked all those who had helped and supported Hatherleigh Festival, especially her and Jamie's long suffering partners, Tim and Claire.

'They've been brilliant,' she said.