Ashby de la Zouch Town Council could make Bath Grounds celebrations an annual event for the community.

Sunday's Festival in the Park had a VE Day 80th anniversary theme and followed on from the town's Coronation Celebration two years ago.

Live acts appeared on a stage and there were stallholders, food outlets and children's entertainers for those who came along to what was a free event.

There was a 1940s feel to the event in a week when the country marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day

The only downside was the chillier weather later in the day, but that did not stop an estimated 2,500-3,000 people attending the Town Council-organised event.

Stuart Benson, the Town Council's Communications and Events Manager, said this year's event - and the one in 2023 - showed there was an appetite for a yearly gathering on the same lines.

He told Ashby Nub News: "The feedback's been very positive, I want to thank everybody for turning out to support us, it was a great sight to see and and we hope to repeat this again next year, subject to being signed off by the events committee. Then I think it's something that could be a staple event for the future."

Stuart admitted he had no expectations of how popular the event would be.

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Ashby Mayor, Cllr Liz Parle, opened the Festival in the Park

But he said it fitted perfectly into a week which has seen the country mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

Stuart added: "It was part of the commemorations that are going on this week, so we wanted to pay homage to VE Day. 

"We had 1940s-related music and handed out Union Jacks to everybody that came in. We wanted to get that audience participation and be into the spirit of it."

Apart from that, the event had a positive response from all involved.

Live bands were on stage all day. Photo: Ashby Nub News

Stuart added: "People supported the stores and vendors that we had, which was great to see. 

"They all reported sort of very good sales throughout the day. 

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"We didn't have any expectation. We weren't sure whether people would bring their own picnics and make the day of it, but they did.

"The cooler weather didn't sort of deter people from coming and still having a good time."

It underlined the sort of event that Ashby is now well-known for and Stuart added: "Anything that brings people together is a good thing, so we're really pleased to be able to do it.

"We also had the volunteer village, to raise awareness of organisations such as Bright Hope, Girl Guides and the Rotary Clubs. They had really great engagement across the day.

"It was their chance to showcase what they do as organisations, so to be able to give them a platform was great as well."