NOWHERE was Saturday’s sun more welcome than at Bournemouth’s first-ever solar-powered festival.

The temperature hit 25C and families lazed on the grass of Shelley Park in Boscombe, to sights and sounds generated only by the power of the sun.

The Green Unity Fair attracted hundreds of people and was timed to coincide with the Big Green Fortnight.

Steve Selby from Brighton had a van and three solar panels, around 5ft high by 2ft wide, that were powering performers on the Melodrome music stage.

“In the cloud there’s enough power, but when the sun breaks through, it probably produces twice as much as we need,” he said.

He added: “For something like this, I only charge a couple of hundred quid, but if they are charging entry the rates go up.”

Another set of solar panels powered an indoor cinema screen showing films about the environment, like Kymatica and The Story of Life.

Lee Hadaway, 39, from Wimborne, had a solar-powered DJ turntable for children to try out and recycled records.

He said: “Today is a celebration of the community, but it’s also about educating people.”

The event ran until 10pm and there were 37 stalls belonging to renewable energy firms, ethical traders, and charities.

You could eat organic food, get a henna tattoo, have tarot readings, take your children to Sparrowhawk Storytelling and more.

One of the organisers, Sam Monks from Springbourne, said the aim was to make people think about making the transition to local sustainability.

The event was on behalf of Transition BH Hub and sponsored by private firms like the Co-Op.