Churchill has all the fun of the fair

Revellers turned up in their droves for Churchill"s Fair in the Square last weekend.

And the event - which was tipped as a mini Faslane Fair - did not disappoint.

Around 3000 people descended on Churchill Square for a day of entertainment which began at 11am and went on long into the night.

There was plenty of fun for the family including traditional fair ground games, a children"s obstacle course, a climbing wall, and a fancy dress competition with a Disney theme.

Visitors got a chance to meet the hardworking MOD police dogs, including 14-week-old puppy Thorn, the force"s latest recruit. The defence fire service also attended, alongside a chainsaw artist and Helensburgh and District Pipe Band.

Hungry revellers were able to fill up at a tasty barbecue run by the MOD Police and there were information stalls run by charities and community groups - including a display on healthy living by Backchat Youth Group.

The Advertiser"s sister radio station, Your Radio - whose appearance was sponsored by Helensburgh On-line - were broadcasting live. From 3pm, the party moved to the Drumfork Club where the crowds were entertained with live music from four piece band, Park Lane, and a display from pupils of the Margaret Rose School of Dance. There were also cheerleading and boxercise demos, and line dancing. Some danced the night away at DJ Ray"s disco, which went on until midnight.

Andy Makin, Community Development Officer for Naval and Family Services said the day had been a resounding success. He added: 'It was a fabulous day which was only outshone by the weather. We had double the number of people who turned up last year and that was down to Your Radio providing a focal point.'

Andy and his steering committee spent six months planning the fair but he says it was well worth the effort and is already looking forward to starting on next year"s event.

He added: 'We started setting out stalls at 4am and didn"t finish til 8pm, so it was a long day but it was great fun and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. One of the main aims of the day was for local charities and support groups to raise some funds and they made just over £2,000 which was amazing. This wasn"t a Royal Navy event, it was aimed at the whole community and I think that"s what we achieved It was a really good family day.'