REVELLERS called it the best ever Millfest, when it bowed out at the weekend with a triumphant performances by six local bands after eight successful years.

Held in the garden of The Rising Sun pub, the free event attracted many regulars from the village watering hole and families from the area, when it was launched in 2008. Over the last eight years it has grown in size and popularity and this year, award-winning landlord Ben Burston decided to call it a day.

“We are the victims of our own success,” he told The Herald.

“Millfest has become too popular attracting large crowds of young people from all three surrounding counties as well as locals and families.

“We had to book a professional security company to patrol the event and keep things under control. Even though it is an amazing event, the pressure to keep everything going smoothly all day and all night has been enormous on my manager, myself and the staff.

“I had lots of help from my lovely wife Frankie, who took over most of the running of our last event, and Pete Alderman, the pub’s manager, who kept on top of everything.

“They have both been absolutely brilliant and the staff, who worked in the bar and food areas were fantastic.”

Ben also wanted to say a special thank-you to the villagers for putting up with the traffic, noise and litter over the last eight years.

Blessed with sunshine and warm weather for every Millfest, he revealed the secret of his success. Ben said: “I have done some research into weather patterns over the years and found that the driest period of the summer always seems to be during the last 10 days of July, which is why I always chose these dates to hold the event.”

Plans will be discussed in the autumn on whether to continue staging the music festival in a nearby field as a ticketed event.

“We will hopefully keep the name. The Rising Sun will still be involved, but we will no longer host the event”, Ben added.

“We may even miss out a year and decide to hold the festival every two years instead.”

Acts at the farewell bash included the Shuffletones Choir, These Echoes, Coyote, the Rehab Band, Those Restless Knights and local lads and headliners Alex and Phil as Brando. During the day, revellers enjoyed a real ale festival, with four bars, a hog roast, barbecue and street food as well as face-painting and a bouncy castle for the children.