POOLE residents and visitors rocked, grooved and mellowed out in the sunshine and the rain at the town’s mini-music festival over the weekend.

For the first time since the annual Party in the Park began in 2001, it was held over two days instead of one on Lower Parkstone village green.

Different line-ups of bands, including local acts such as the Butcher Blues Foundation and the Empire Affair, kept the crowds entertained between 2pm and 7pm on each of the days.

See all our pictures from Party in the Park in a gallery here

However, Sunday afternoon’s showers put a damper on proceedings. “The fact is numbers are down from what I had hoped,” said organiser Jane Jones. “But everybody is amazing and people are making the most of it.”

The event, held to raise money for Wessex Cancer Trust, also included a mixture of stalls, an array of food and drink, including barbecue and hog roast, and children’s entertainments.

The family event clashed with the Bournemouth Air Festival last year, so this year the following weekend was chosen for the end of summer party.

Jane said she had been expecting around 8,000 people to attend over the two days. On Saturday afternoon, the event was already busy, but with plenty of room for families to sit on the grass and picnic. “This is the first time we’ve done a Saturday and I’m delighted with how it’s taken off,” she said.

“We had so much controversy about the fencing, but parents and families are now over the moon because they know their kids are safe and can’t run out into the road.

“There’s a brilliant eclectic mix of stalls and we’re staffed by volunteers. One guy in a wheelchair volunteered for the whole two days, which I think is just brilliant.”

She thanked main sponsors Meridian Lifts and other local businesses that have given their support.