Thousands of visitors took advantage of the sunshine to enjoy a huge variety of entertainment at the Castle Ashby Country Fair on Sunday.

The event, now in its 27th year, was originally held in Castle Ashby House but moved to Brafield-on-the-Green seven years ago.

Following a change of site last year, organiser Debbie Smith said: "We had a lot of positive feedback so we decided to stay on this land. It's a much more compact site and that really helps the show to be successful.

"The visitors flowed in all day and we had to open up a second car park to cope with demand."

John Hall, from CJ's Birds of Prey, entertained the crowds with his collection of beautiful birds, the most unusual one being Chawumba, a martial eagle from Africa.

He said: "It's been very busy. Birds of prey only fly in the wild to hunt. We simulate that environment and fly them every day to feed them. They don't get an easy option."

Sarah Green, from Petwise Zoo, which ran beetle races throughout the day, said: "This is the first time we have come to this fair and it's a nice change to have so many people.

"It's a well organised show with a good layout and a lot of stuff to do. We will definitely be coming back next year."

Original source : Northampton Chron & Echo