Crowds turn out for Valley Easter events

VALLEY venues enjoyed bumper crowds over Easter as revellers flocked to traditional fairs.

The Bacup Easter Festival welcomed large crowds to its new and improved event on Easter Saturday, in addition to other events around the town on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Also on Easter Day the Roebuck pub, in Scoutbottom, drew in hundreds as its new landlords hosted the annual Clog Cobbin’ event.

In Bacup, Britannia’s traditional Coconutters dancers entertained a crowd of hundreds as they made their way to the Royal Court Theatre.

Mrs Ibbitt’s 1917 Shop and Parlour opened at the natural history museum giving guests the chance to experience Bacup 100 years ago. There was also a sneak preview of the town’s Flowerpot Festival in June at Bacup market.

Pete Sweetmore, who has been a DJ at the Easter market for five years, said the festival was bigger than last year’s and added that ‘every stall was full’ in the packed market square.

He said: “It was very good. I was on Bacup market where every stall was full. Lots of charity stalls did very well. When the Coconutters were on the market, it was packed.

“All of the stall owners had a good day. There was definitely a few hundred, or more, at the market.

“There were things going on right across the town, all sorts of things going on which led to a fantastic atmosphere across Bacup.”

In Scoutbottom, Nata- sha Taylor, who took over the Roebuck with her husband Joe last month, said the busy day for the traditional clog cobbin’ event was worth it, with about 400 people of all ages taking part.

She said: “Basically, people throw a single clog and they have to try and beat the record from previous years. The longest throw is 124 metres. The highest we had this year was 83 metres.

“It was good and it was busy but it was a very long day. Along with the clog cobbing, we had a few tug of war teams. In the competition, about 30 people had a throw. All sorts of people took part, from children the age of three to people in their sixties.”

A raffle was also held during the event that raised £1,673, which Natasha said will go towards local charities.

●● Visitors to the Roebuck pub in Scoutbottom, took part in tug-of-war competitions and the clog cobbin’ event ●● Crowds at the annual Easter Festival in Bacup, which included Bacup Pride’s launch of the Flowerpot Festival on the town’s market ●● Callum Heaps, 10, and Jodie Middleton, 11, both Year 6 pupils at Northern Primary School, Bacup help out on the opening day of Mrs Ibbitts 1917 Shop & Parlour