THE glorious sunshine drew huge crowds to a summer gala attended by the Lord Mayor of York.

Huntington Summer Gala, held last Sunday at Huntington Sports Club, boasted a turnout of about 1,000.

The gala started life as a celebration for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, but proved so popular the parish council decided to hold it annually.

Parish councillor Dave Jobling, chairman of the committee that runs the event, said: “This is the only annual event that brings the Huntington community together.

“It’s the parish council’s way of giving something back to the community for providing the precept for all the work we do.”

Lord Mayor, Cllr Keith Orrell, a parish councillor for Huntington, was there with his wife, Lady Mayoress Judith, and demonstrated his soccer skills as well as meeting stallholders.

Among the attractions for local children were farmyard animals - provided by Riggmore Petting Farm - football coaching from Huntington Football Club and trailer rides around the field.

Adults were treated to a classic car, scooter and motorcycle display, featuring locally owned vehicles.

During the day there was live entertainment for the youngsters in the marquee, including a performance by the Field Academy of Irish Dancers, street dancing, musical theatre and a junior disco with DJ Kevin.

The Lord Mayor said: “The Lady Mayoress and I have had many fascinating engagements since I became Lord Mayor in May, but going to the gala in our own area was very special.

“It was good to see so many familiar faces and the classic cars were a wonderful spectacle with many reminders of the cars I used to see on the roads.

“The gala is a credit to all the parish councillors who put so much work into making it happen. I know the amount of work involved is vast, but once again, all this hard work paid off and local people a fantastic day.”

One of the more amusing sights of the day was bagpiper Rachael Blueman parading round the ground in a Dalmatian costume. She was raising money for the RSPCA and Band of Rescuers, a North Yorkshire cat rehoming charity.

Other local charities, churches, schools and organisations were also given the opportunity to raise funds and awareness of their work. These included, York’s oldest charity, the Wilberforce Trust, which supports people with sight and hearing loss and is based in the Huntington area.