THE crowds turned out to support Hatherleigh School’s Community Fun Day last Saturday, which also saw the official opening of the woodland area.

As the sun shone, the music played and a whole host of stalls and traditional games began.

After the welcoming songs from the school choir, the town crier rang her bell to draw the crowd’s attention to the official opening of the school woodland area.

Geoffrey Cleverdon from Hatherleigh Moorland Management gave a short speech, highlighting all the great work that had taken place to transform this small woodland into a superb resource for the school.

The sweets and treats flowed throughout the day with homemade cream teas, candy floss and colourful ice cones. The wood-fired pizzas cooked by the teaching staff in the outdoor kitchen were so popular they sold out.

Donna Lewis, the event co-ordinator and parent, said: ‘It was so good to see the whole event come together. I’m delighted that we managed to have a continuous programme of live music throughout the day and for that I need to thank the children from the choir and the Brownies, the Gospel Choir, Tim Rhodes, Okehampton Singers and Hatherleigh Silver Band — they created an uplifting atmosphere and a real focal point.’

Children swarmed to meet the special guests, Dave the Minion and Olaf from Frozen as they danced to the music and high-fived their fans. Kids’ faces were transformed into monsters, butterflies and flower fairies by the skilful face painter from Facealicious.

Headteacher Caroline Boother said: ‘I can’t thank the parents from the PTFA enough for all their hard work putting on this community fun day.

‘I was delighted to see so many people enjoying the day. It was a wonderful way to welcome people to our school and a perfect opportunity for parents and the wider community to see how opportunities for outdoor learning have continued to grow.

‘We enjoyed meeting many of the new intake families, due to start in September, who have come along today. We would also like to thank James McInnes, cabinet member for children, schools and skills for giving up time in his busy schedule to come along and support the school.’