A CELEBRATED country fair enjoyed its biggest show ever this bank holiday.

The Black Combe Country Fair attracted crowds of people from across the area to take part in traditional Cumbrian activities.

Show secretary Sandra Cummings was delighted by this year's success and is thrilled to see that the show is so popular.

She said: "It was was amazing. It was a bumper year this year. I think it would have been the biggest show we've ever had.

"I think a lot of people just wanted to get out. The bank holiday weekend was nice and so many things have been cancelled over the summer and the sun was shining. It was brilliant."

The show, which took place on Monday, was a celebration of Cumbria's rich agricultural history and included fell races, fell pony displays and a number of dog classes.

This year's event also introduced a fell race up Black Combe which proved to be a great success with visitors.

Mrs Cummings said: "We had a fell race up Black Combe and back run by Black Combe Runners and we've never done that before, so that was great.

"We had a fell pony display in the main ring but we're a traditional dog show so we have all the different dog classes, as well as children's sports."

Opportunities to get involved continued throughout the day as families took part in a wide range of activities such as have-a-go dog racing.

As visitors basked in the glorious bank holiday sunshine, Mrs Cummings delighted in seeing so many families enjoying the day's events.

She said: "It's great because we're a family orientated show so children get in free.

"Lots of shows now out-price families whereas we try and support people who want to go out on a bank holiday.

"If you've got a family of five or six people it soon gets very expensive."

The show has been running for more than 45 years and has always been a valuable event in the community's calendar.

As the pace of modern life increases, Mrs Cummings is delighted that families still visit the show to stay connected to the county's agricultural past.

She said: "You won't see these things anywhere else and we're here to showcase the fact that we have something special.

"It's important to keep these events going because they are our heritage and it's what is traditional for here and we have to maintain that."