A FOUR day festival has been deemed an enormous success by its organisers after hundreds of visitors packed out the town.

The Festival of the Fells in Ambleside was a huge celebration complete with its own musical flashmob, trail race and guided night swims.

Organised by Ambleside Together, the event is now planning on being a yearly fixture following the positive feedback from all those involved.

Treasurer of Ambleside Together, Wendy Rainer said: "We have had fantastic feedback from local businesses and from visitors, as well as all our guests who came to take part.

"There were big turn-outs for guided walks at all levels, abseiling, Nordic walking, ghyll scrambling and swimming.

"Everyone got a real sense of what Ambleside can offer."

Top mountaineer Alan Hinkes, the festival patron, and polar explorer Craig Mathieson have already said they would like to return to the next festival.

The Rotary Club of Ambleside and Kirkstone raised more than £2000 for Alzheimers Research with a duck race in Rothay Park and organisers of a charity car-pull to the top of Kirkstone Pass were still counting donations for the chemotherapy unit at Westmorland General Hospital.

Poet John Phoenix Hutchinson even penned a special verse for the occasion and the official poem can be found on display at the Regent Hotel.