Hundreds of families visited Prestwich today to bask in the sunshine and all that Clough Day had to offer.
The annual event was a hit once again as crowds of people gathered in St Mary’s Flower Park today, Sunday, May 21, to browse stalls, play games, watch a range of entertainment, and enjoy the sunny weather.
Siblings Charlotte, age two and Emily, age three, stole the show for crowds listening to some of the live music on offer with their entertaining dance moves.
Other youngsters, such as Jacob Sahota, nine, used their time to get in some first aid training.
Jacobs’s mum said: “This is just an incredible day that really brings the community together.
“There is so much going on and this has been something we have really been looking forward to.”
Faye Blair also attended the Clough Day and took the opportunity to get close with an owl.
She said: “I’m loving it.
“We started the day by going to a car boot and decided to pop over to see what was going on.
“Since we have been here we have done the tombola, learnt a bit of history and heritage, seen some war medals and spoken to the police, it’s been fantastic."
Dog handling officers were happy to introduce eager crowds to pooches Stanley, age three and a half and Murphy, age six, whose job it is to sniff out items like drugs, money and bullets.
As well as being a free family afternoon out with entertainment for all ages, the day also gave local community groups the chance to entice new recruits.
A volunteer from Clean Team Prestwich said that they had recruited 20 new volunteers in around three hours.
He said: “We have had a lot of interest and I think the weather really does help.
“What we do is give new volunteers a litter picker and a holder for their bin bags, which we also provide, and then they can ‘adopt’ their street to help keep it clean.
“We have a map of all roads in Prestwich which have been adopted and we meet as a group usually on the first or second Sunday of the month to clean litter black spots in the area.”
Emma said: “You don’t need any experience but we recommend being quite an active person as there can be a lot of leg work.
“Volunteers can be as chatty or quiet as they want, and we are happy to bring out the brews and biscuits as a thank you for the work.”
Ahead of the event, David Stanley, one of the Clough Day organisers, said: “During these current harsh financial times it is even more important that we have as many free activities and events as possible.
"By doing so, it can help us forget our worries and problems for a while whilst bringing the community together, and nothing says summer is arriving better than Prestwich’s own and very unique Clough Day.
“This will be the 17th year we have managed to host the Clough Day so I would like to thank all our sponsors, our team and everyone who has agreed to participate in making this possible.”
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