A TOWN centre drew in the crowds at the weekend as it became a food and garden lover’s paradise.

Over the weekend, the third annual Letchworth GC Food and Garden Festival was held, which included a cookery stage with live demonstrations from chefs, a bustling marketplace of stall holders, as well as a stage dedicated to gardening.

Headlining the cookery stage on Saturday was former Coronation Street actor turned chef and cheese maker Sean Wilson, who played Martin Platt in the soap.

Joining Sean were chefs from the area’s restaurants such as Hermitage Rd, Radcliffe Arms, The Fox at Willian and Redcoats Farmhouse.

Children’s favourite CBeebies star Mr Bloom, played by Ben Faulks, kept the younger visitors entertained with his gardening stage on Sunday.

Organiser and town centre manager Lee Boswell said: “It was a fantastic event and the weather was really kind to us over the weekend, with glorious sunshine on Sunday. Mr Bloom was especially popular, I’ve never seen crowds like it and I would estimate that we had about 10 to 16,000 people who came along and enjoyed the event. Stall holders reported excellent sales. The feedback that I have been getting is everyone saying how nice it was to see Letchworth so busy and lively. It really gives the town a point of difference and overall it was a brilliant event.”

*For pictures from the festival click on the top right hand corner.