MORE than a thousand people flocked to Minchinhampton Common on Sunday for the annual kite festival.

The skies were filled with colourful kites ranging from penguins to manta rays, their owners ranging from practiced professionals to toddler trainees.

Weather conditions were not as windy as hoped, a rarity for the common, but scores of families and kite enthusiasts persisted in what was a stunning display of community participation.

The event graced Minchinhampton for the sixth time under the guidance of Alfie Jobbins who has seen the festival grown in popularity each year.

He said: “It is the first UK calendar event for kite flyers to start the year, it attracts kite flyers from all across the country.

“We love Minchinhampton Common because it has very good wind conditions and lots of open space.

“We get air space permission so we can fly kites up to about 1,000 feet.”