Vera Dumbleton, chair of the Friends of MacAndrews Field said the event went ’surprisingly well’ given the heavy showers, adding the rain seemed to make people particularly friendly.
The group was delighted with the turnout at the event on Sunday, a Big Lunch combined with a celebration of the monarch’s official birthday the day before.
Based around a shared picnic lunch, the day also featured free face painting, a visit from a vintage military Landrover, a tour of the field’s plant life led by Tess Wilmott of Ivybridge Environmental Action Group, a Queen’s portrait drawing competition for youngsters, and lots more entertainment.
Vera said: ’We had a great turnout from our councillors, county councillor Roger Croad who is paying for our new gates to be fitted, the mayor David Gray-Taylor, all our South Hams councillors and lots of our town councillors as well. The Ivybridge Royal British Legion supported us as always, and we had lots of help from the community.
’Ivybridge Co-op was absolutely brilliant, a group of them came up and helped man the stalls, and they provided a lot of the food. Sylvia Rutley, a town councillor and one of our committee baked the birthday cake.
’I had friends come from Plympton for the day, and they said what a nice community we have here in Ivybridge. The man with the military vehicles had asked whether he could come back this year, as it was such a good event last year.
’A big thanks to Ivybridge Town Council for helping us with a donation towards the costs, and a very big thanks to the Co-op.’