IN spite of the bad weather on July 19, the diamond anniversary of the famous Huntington fete, near Kington, held at Huntington Court, has beaten last year's previous record. It has raised approximately £3,629. It will be given to the Anglican Church, the United Reform Church, the village hall and local Kington charities.

It poured all over Herefordshire, but the one north west corner of the county was spared the deluge. Once again, loyal crowds turned out in their hundreds, the weather brightened and by the end of the afternoon, the sun came out and it was so hot, everyone took off their jackets and spent their money.

The fete was opened by the four eldest residents of Huntington, who had spent their entire lives in the village. They were 92 year old Mrs Betty Croose, 89 year old Mrs Dorothy Jones, John Bufton and Bob Powell, who had been born and bred in Huntington. They were introduced by the town crier of Knighton, who also announced the events.

The cake stall was cleared out in ten minutes, the WI puddings and pies stall also was sold out very quickly, as were the jams and preserves. People bargained over the bric-a-brac stall, yet the most money to be raised was once again, the book stall. There were queues for splat-the-rat, which raised an amazing £40. Home-made teas were held under a marquee, the human fruit machine caused huge mirth; Bob Powell's 'guess-the-weight-of-the-sheep' was won by a sheep farmer who guessed exactly the weight of four ewes together. All the time, the glorious live music of Bandamania entertained the crowd, with their delightful blend of country music.

But the climax was to come as Robert Jones, who himself has been born and bred in the village let off anniversary balloons to fly over the hilltops - hopefully for a prize one day for the senders. As chairman of the fete, Robert Jones said, "We were worried about the weather all morning, but once again, the sun shone on Huntington and we must thank all the people who worked so hard to make it a success, as well the old friends and many newcomers who find the fete so entertaining and enthralling."