Arundel Festival Fringe ends with a bang

The spectacular display brought the curtain down on a fortnight of fringe festivities which continued to expand this year, and will be even bigger in 2006.

Fringe director Kevin Williams, stalwart secretary Don Ayling and their hard-working committee provided a packed programme to suit every taste, and were delighted with the public's response.

It encompassed the gallery trail, theatre trail and a new music trail under the banner of the Madfest (music, arts and drama showcase), which also featured alternative drama productions in the atmospheric setting of the Arundel Town Hall undercroft, restyled as the Dramazone, and a highly successful comedy and music line-up at the Norfolk Arms ballroom.

Nor was it solely the fireworks which guaranteed the fringe ended on a high. The Jive Aces band went down a storm with the audience packing into Town Square for the hour before the pyrotechnics, and will be back next year when, it's hoped, a new jive and swing festival will be added to the fringe "family".

All the traditional elements of the fringe also kept the town in festive mood throughout the fortnight, including the children's fun fair, Saturday's children's pet show, musical performances every afternoon and, on Sunday, the Arundel, Barnham and District Lions' Club annual duck race, which raised more than 500 for the appeal fund for a cancer care day centre at Chichester.

Large crowds watched the 850 plastic ducks bobbing down the River Arun, and the winner was Jackie Maynard, of Arundel, who won 100.

Arundel Rotary Club has also announced the final total for its country fayre event the previous weekend, which raised more than 2,000 for Rotary charities and good causes. Chief organiser Keith Boyd-Seymour has thanked all those taking part.