CROWDS flocked to Malvern's Priory Park on Saturday, April 30, for this year's Fringe May Day festival.

The sun shone all day, and visitors enjoyed a packed programme of events and entertainment from morning until evening.

Priory Park was filled with colour and sound, as local musicians delighted their audiences with an eclectic range of jazz, folk and rock music, both in the Victorian bandstand, and in the acoustic tent at the other end of the park.

There was plenty to do for all ages, with demonstrations and workshops of circus skills and drumming.

Stalls were set up in the park for causes such as Malvern Community Collective, which wants to save the town's youth centre, and whose members were busy gathering signatures and support for its bid.

A double-decker bus provided an unusual mobile bar, and there was organic and health food on offer from local traders such as Greenling.

As usual, one of the highlights was the grand parade through the town, led by the Baixa Beat samba band and Dawn Marie Wedlock and her dancers.

Brightly-costumed revellers carrying banners made their way out of the park, through the Abbey Archway in front of the post office and down Church Street, to the delight of passers-by and tourists.

Sam Hemming, one of the organisers, said: "I want to thank all those who came and made it such a success, and, more importantly, the volunteers, such as stewards and litter pickers and all the others, whose hard work is what makes it all happen."

* THE first Fringe young people's poetry competition attracted entries from four local schools.

Three local primary schools, St James in West Malvern, St Josephs and the Grove, sent in poems, as did the Abbey College in Malvern Wells, whose international students submitted entries in the competition's English as Second Language category.

The competition was run by Jai Hill, the Bard of Malvern, who announced the winners on Saturday.

They were: 7-8 year olds - 1st Georgia Ranford; runner-up - Fern Casserly; highly commended - Ellie Cobham; Thomas Winters; Hannah Blackburn; Alexander Combe; Trulie Taylor.

9 year olds - 1st Samuel Bayliss; runner-up - Nina Cobham; highly commended - Anya Treadwell Middle; Ben Hoad; Sam Cave.

10-15 year olds - Joint first Joe Cain; Phoebe Kielstra; runner-up - Poppy Whawad; highly commended - Milly Parsons; Alex-Leigh Bell; Eluned Pritchard; Hattie Harnden.

English as Second Language - 1st Delaram Ghanbari; runner-up - Yuyu Yamaguchi.