The sun shone on the record number of visitors to the annual summer fair for the Orchard Trust at Lydbrook and they were able to enjoy live music from Which One’s Gerry and Lydbrook Training band, birds of prey, a traditional Punch and Judy show, Roaming Reptiles along with lots of stalls and games.

The summer fair is a great opportunity for the Orchard Trust to show the local community the smallholding site, with visits to some of the animals throughout the day. It also highlighted the work of the charity which is to support the involvement, independence and development of people with learning disabilities.

Local organisations came together to support the Trust on the day with help from scout groups, Forest Lions, Forest Rotary club and Severn Roller Torrent (a woman’s Roller Derby league who play the contact sport in Gloucestershire). The organisations were not only helping on stalls but also to show case the new accessible pathways with skaters from SRT putting on their wheels and trying out the accessible paths for themselves!

The fair was a great success with more than three thousand pounds being raised. The final amount will be match funded by Basepoint Chepstow so a fantastic result for the charity.

The success of the event will go a long way to enable the Trust to help people with disabilities to plan their daily lives and fulfil their potential.

Cathy Andrews, CEO of the Orchard Trust said ‘I would like say a big thank you to everyone who was involved in our summer fair on Sunday, volunteers, entertainment, stall holders and visitors. Thank you to everyone who helped bake, donated items, donated their services and donated their time to make the day so enjoyable.’