VISITORS sheltered from the rain and poured into St Mary Magdalene's Parish Church to enjoy the offerings of various stalls, including books, cakes, crafts and garden plants at the annual Broughton-in-Furness Fair.

"This is the first time we have held the fair in the actual church," said Marion Wright, one of the fair organisers. "We are usually outside, but had to change plans because of the bad weather.

"We had a lot of young families who defied the rain to come in. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves."

Even though the usual bouncy castle could not be set up due to the weather, children were catered for with face painting, and a bric-a-brac and a raffle were also held on the day.

Mrs Wright, who has been involved with Broughton Fair for the past three decades, enjoys the day so much she keeps coming back to help organise it.

"It has evolved into a real community event, which brings the residents together," she said. "We think the fair was a success. We are very pleased with this year's event, and are looking forward to next year."

Saturday's event raised around £1,000 for the general church fund.