THE annual community Festival in the Park and Downhill Run were big successes in Frodsham.

The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of 300 runners, ranging from toddlers to an 80-year-old, who – encouraged at the start on Frodsham Hill by Olympic Torch Bearer Joe Beswick –- tackled the 1.3 mile course to a new finish at Castle Park where the festival was in full swing.

This was the seventh Downhill Run organised by Frodsham Community Association, sponsored this year by Halton and Frodsham Harriers and the Rotary Club of Frodsham and Helsby.

Rotarians – who also organise the Festival in the Park in association with Castle Park Arts Centre, Frodsham Town Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council – said staging the two events in tandem for the first time this year provided a great spectacle for the estimated 2,000 visitors who descended on the park.

Overall winner of the run in 6mins 1sec was Gareth Boyd, of Frodsham. First woman home was Emma Pyatt, and first under-11 was eight-year-old William Harvey.

All three received trophies and prizes were also presented to the first male and female Harriers, Christopher Larkin and Kiera Grady-Brown.

Run organiser Sue Thomson thanked local businesses and the many volunteer marshals without whom, she said, it would be impossible to stage the increasingly popular event.

The community festival, opened by Frodsham mayor Cllr Lynn Riley was also ‘a great success’, said organisers.

Exhibitions at Castle Park Arts Centre and arts and crafts displays drew many visitors throughout the afternoon, and stalls highlighting more than 40 local groups mingled with live entertainment on the main stage, including Halabaya Belly Dancers and the George Formby Society.

Children’s entertainment included a bouncy castle, Punch and Judy, Sportshall Athletics and fairground rides, along with shows and features designed for the whole family.