When heavy rain was forecast for Sunday 3 September, Thornton Heath Festival 2017 stood every chance of being a wash-out for the first time in a decade! Key members of the Festival Management Committee, Tony Rowland, Cllr. Callton Young OBE, Cllr. Pat Clouder, Hon. Alderman Adrian Dennis, Karen Barnett and Cllr. Karen Jewitt were therefore on tenterhooks as Thornton Heath High Street was closed to traffic at 6am that morning, to make preparation for the day ahead.
Heavy lorries rolled in, ladened with the all important Fun Fair rides. No Thornton Heath Festival is complete without them! Then there was the arrival of the central stage, the stallholders and the band of volunteers who help the day run smoothly. All of this happened under the watchful gaze of our professional group of SIA approved security officers led by Renford.
Fortunately, rain did not come until the end of the Festival. And by then both revellers and performers alike were in the groove! So the band played on, singers sang on and the crowd danced on, full of the joys! Indeed, this Festival eclipsed many others to become one of the most enjoyable yet! Above are some photos of the best ‘people’ moments towards the very end of Festival as rain started to fall! There were smiles all round!