Get ready for some family fun, as the popular annual Stevenage Charter Fair returns this week.

The High Street will be crammed with rides and stalls on Thursday and Friday, including dodgems and waltzers, as well as smaller rides for young children. Kiosks will also be selling burgers, hot dogs, sweets and candy floss.

The fair has been held in Stevenage since King Edward I granted the town Royal Charter in 1281, giving the right to hold a weekly market and yearly fair for all time.

The charter was one of more than 2,200 granted around this time, including in Baldock.

The main purpose of the early fairs was trade, with cloth, wool and wine merchants stopping off to sell their wares.

The Covid-19 pandemic stopped the fair taking place in 2020, but a single hoopla stall ensured retention of the charter.

All the fun of the fair can be had from 3pm until late on both Thursday and Friday this week.