CROWDS flocked to Kinver at the weekend to soak up the carnival atmosphere of Kinfayre.

Although official figures won't be available for a couple of weeks, the signs suggest this year's Kinver Country Fayre broke all records.

Jane Sadler, chairman of the organising committee, confirmed: "We had around 10,000 people attend last year and you could tell there was more this time, simply by the sheer volume of traffic alone.

"I think it would be safe to say the crowds would be in excess of 12,000."

She praised headline act The Knights of Middle England and said: "They were incredible. The crowds must have been ten deep around the arena to watch them.

"They lived up to all expectations and were incredible to watch. We were so impressed that we're already thinking of inviting them back again.

"But some of the other entertainment was excellent as well, especially the dog show - there were dogs everywhere.

"We also had a record number of children enter the fancy dress competition, which one of the knights kindly judged for us.

"The local scouts also did a great job adding to the entertaimment, setting up a climbing wall and providing archery, all of which went down really well.

"There was some concern about the weather when we were setting up the site on Saturday, because of the amount of rain we had.

"Obviously the weather plays a huge part on any outdoor event and is key to its success. We did get a spot of rain around 4pm, but it was nothing to worry about.

"It was great to see so many people from the local community helping out - because it's the local community who really benefit in the end.

"We won't know how much we've raised until all the suppliers' bills have been paid off, but we will announce it as soon as we can - but we'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who came out to support us. It was a fantastic effort."

This year's Kinfayre received considerable sponsorship from local businessman Chris McQuillan who runs the recruitment website 'Hired on Line'

He said: "I've lived in the village for 25 years and I've seen Kinfayre grow from little more than a village fete. But it has really taken off since the new committee took over in 2011. It now has the potential to be so much more and it's just nice to be able to put something back."

Stourbridge Rugby Club's junior section were one of the many organisations promoting themselves at Kinfayre.

Coach Spencer Bailey said: "We use Kinfayre as a real opportunity to recruit more players and parents to the club. We want to encourage more youngsters to take up the sport and Kinfayre presents an ideal environment to attract some new blood."