Giant celebrations to mark township's anniversary

The Hampton Festival was held on Saturday, with scores of residents joining the celebrations.

The highlight was Mavis the Giant taking part in a parade from The Tump to Serpentine Green, but there were also stalls and other activities for the family, which despite the rain proved popular.

Keely Mills from Eastern Angles Theatre, who helped organise the parade, said: “The whole festival had something for everyone from ages three to 93 and it responded to Hampton brilliantly, especially the Hampton Folktales procession with Mavis the Giant, which had over 200 people there. “Throughout the day, we had some lovely comments and great feedback which was much warmer than the weather.

“It felt family friendly and all the different partners really pulled together to make it feel that way. I really hope we can do the festival again and that the weather is sunnier next time!”

Rev Rachel Hilditch, from Christ the Servant King (CSK) Church, which also helped organise the event, added: “Despite the odd downpour, CSK church hosted a very busy stall, offering a mix of free children’s activities, gifts to take away and a thankfulness challenge. 
“Our aim was twofold - to offer things to the community at no cost, but also to start a conversation about gratitude. There was an opportunity on the day to decorate our thankfulness tree, but also to take away a card to fill in with one thing to be grateful about every day for 30 days. In addition, the helium balloons to launch this project proved a big hit with our visitors. My lasting memory will be how positive all our volunteers were about doing it all over again, despite the weather!”