RESIDENTS in Old Sodbury came together on Saturday for a fun-filled afternoon of activities, music and food.

The annual Old Sodbury Village Day saw families enjoy a bring-your-own picnic and a variety of entertainment on the village’s football pitch.

Marshfield Brass Band and choirs from Old Sodbury Primary School both provided music for the event, while the WI made cakes and the Friends of the Church ran a burger stand.

One of the biggest attractions of the afternoon was a display by the British Legion, which included two ‘Ferret’ armoured cars, a land rover and a collection of army rifles and machine guns dating from the first world war to present day. 

Inspired by this display, Old Sodbury youngster Sam Rumney brought along a miniature electric army jeep that had been built by his father and grandfather, and happily let other children have a ride in it around the field.

Popular attractions during the afternoon included face painting, a glitter nail and tattoo stall run by the Friends of the School, a bouncy castle, skittles, childrens craft stall, human sheep dog trials, various craft stalls, a display of local archaeological finds and the grand finale - a Tug of War.

Both men and women took part in the battle, with the winning members from both groups being awarded a cup for their Tug-of-War skills. 

Festivities then continued on into the night at The Dog Inn, where people enjoyed a hog roast, football and live music.

Chairman of the Village Day, Ian Rowland, told the Gazette that the say was a "big success".

"The day was a great example of how local groups can all come together to make things happen," he said. "It helps of course that we have so many active groups in the village."

He added that setting up in the morning had been a challenge.

"We were very concerned about the wind," he said. "A couple of gazebos and a lightweight marquee had been uprooted and ended up in the hedge, but we managed to lash everything else down with bigger pegs and they all survived."