OVER 1,600 people came together in Yate over the weekend in honour of the country's patron saint St George with the return of the national day celebrations.


St George's Day, which fell on Thursday, April 23, was celebrated in the town on Saturday, on St Mary's Green and in the town's heritage centre.


The centre hosted a day of family fun with a packed itinerary of traditional English entertainment including the annual St George's Day procession, music from local bands, school choir performances, rag morris, story-telling and more throughout the day.


The event received funding from both Yate Town Council and South Gloucestershire Council.


Community heritage officer, David Hardill, said: “The St George's Day celebrations are a perfect day of English style entertainment aimed at the whole community.


"The celebrations went extremely well. We were worried about the weather earlier on and it was quieter in the morning. However, as it got warmer it got busier and busier and in the end we had over 1,600 people.


"I think people tend to enjoy what we put on and the storyteller and Punch and Judy man were especially popular.


"It was great to have Acro-Gymnastics perform as they had been rained off in recent years and we were able to see new routines from them.


"I know the church had a good turn out for their tower tours, especially as the Yate skyline is changing a lot at the moment."


Councillor Wully Perks, mayor of Yate and chair of Yate Town Council, said: "Once again it was a fantastic event, with a very mixed programme for the young and old.


"It was greatly appreciated by a very large crowd."