Thousand of people took part in Wimborne's first ever history festival this weekend.

Vikings, Romans, Iron Age, medieval and the Stone Age periods are being represented at Wimborne History Festival on the Lake Gates Fort off Julian's Road.

Lynda White, organiser of the event, says that there is a range of sword fighting displays, flint knapping, children's crafts, Bronze Age castings and more for what she believes could be around 2,500 visitors to enjoy across the weekend.

Lynda added: “We’ve been talking about a history festival for years. But we decided in June last year that we would do an on-site festival with re-enactments and we wanted as many businesses and organisations to be involved in it as possible so that it is more of a community event.

“We’d like to see around 2,500 people across weekend. We have lots of re-enactments representing the romans, Vikings, Iron Age, medieval sword fighting, which is a rarity as you don’t see very often as it is very authentic taken from medieval information, the 16th century, 17th century and World War Two.”

She said that the event also boasts storytelling, children’s crafts, Viking and Roman crafts, textiles, food created using historic recipes and the Ancient Wessex Network have been doing Bronze Age casting and pottery.

“It is very much a family occasion based on Wimborne history which is all being brought together in one event.”

Lynda said that field where the event is being held is a Roman vexillation fort built by the Commander of the Legio ii Augusta, Vespasianus, who later became Emperor of the Roman Empire.

Mike Trevarthen from the Ancient Wessex Network said that he was demonstrating flint knapping using a piece of an antler to flake a replica Palaeolithic hand axe, which is a tool that would have been used in Britain from 8,000 years ago to potentially 40,000 to 60,000 years ago.

He added: “If you were to look in Christchurch Museum, you would be able to see case after case of these which have been picked up from the River Avon.”