THIS year saw the biggest and most successful West Bay Day to date.

West Bay Days chairman Sylvia Stafford said the team was delighted to see so many visitors enjoying the great family event.

She said: "It was absolutely brilliant, it was a wonderful weekend.

"There were tremendous crowds, lots of things going on and we had lots of support.

"We haven't got an absolutely final figure but it was our most successful West Bay Day to date."

She said the event was organised by a very small group of 11 people with the support of the beneficiaries of the days - Bridport Barracudas, Pathways to Care, St Andrew's Pre-school and West Bay WI.

She added: "I must reiterate our thanks to all those volunteers who helped with the event and our many local sponsors who supported the day.

"We really could not have managed to put on such a spectacular event without their help.

"The help and support provided by Bridport Town Council and West Dorset District Council were also greatly appreciated."

Mrs Stafford said the tradition for West Bay Day dated all the way back to 1844 - with the largest crowd recorded in 1895 when estimates have numbers between 8,000 and 16,000.

She said: "It is not something we created, although there were very long periods, certainly during the war, when there weren't any West Bay Days.

"We simply picked up the idea and ran with it.

"Our aims are to provide an amenity for the benefit of the local community and the tourists who visit this area and to promote and support the local coastal economy.

"Our second aim is to support local charities, and I do mean local charities - these are all within five mile radius of West Bay, that often don't get the support that larger organisations attract.

"And we have a small grant scheme that goes to support local charities."