THE annual Lion’s Street Fayre went off with a bang on Bank Holiday Monday as several thousand visitors from in and around Knutsford lined the streets to join in with the festivities.

Magna Carta was this year’s theme, and stall owners and organisers came dressed in medieval outfits to celebrate the historic day.

Knutsford Lions President, Peter Willgoose, took on the role of King John himself, complete with a face-paint beard to finish his look.

Peter said: “The day went exceedingly well. The weather was kind, it didn’t rain, it was a little chilly but lots and lots of people showed up.

“I think several thousand people came and went during the day. It is impossible to tell but at any one point there were three or four hundred on the street.

“It was great. Ecky Thump was making balloons for the children, and the organ grinder went down well. It was all very colourful and busy.”

The Knutsford Promenades organisers won the award for the best decorated stall, and to celebrate, they arranged for a live 40s style dance.

“It was lovely,” said Peter. “The King may have jived along as well.”

“That was a fantastic representation of the era. As it was towards the end it really livened things up too."

The fair, which takes place on King Street, saw charities and stalls from near and far raise money for their individual good causes.

Peter said: “The main thing is that everybody is having a good time, but I would say that all in all several thousand pounds were raised for charity- which is a great result.

“The Lions raised over £1,000 from programme sales and the money is still coming in.”

The Knutsford Lion’s stall was designed by Knutsford Academy students, in keeping with the medieval theme, to look like a castle.

As well as the sale of programmes, the Lions also had a game where contestants could pay to find King John’s missing coins, which helped to raise money for the organisation.

Peter said: “It was great what the students did. We gave them some money to spend on it and they did a great job.

“The Lion’s Street Fayre is about raising money for other organisations and having a good time and a lot of fun- which is what we did.”