HUNDREDS of families enjoyed a day of celebration with a free day of activities.

The Free Family Fun Festival was held in Colchester’s Castle Park for the sixth successive year.

Colchester Churches organise the hugely popular event to promote a sense of community amongst families - but also to allow them to spend the day together without having to fork out cash after the summer holidays which can often prove expensive.

Amongst the entertainment on offer this year was a dog show, live music, bouncy castles, a land train and a variety of sporting activities.

Event manager Loraine Davies hailed the festival as another huge success.

She said: “It was an amazing day.

“The sun shone, there was great weather and we had hundreds of families and thousands of people come out to see us so it was a really good day.

“The whole day is a gift from Colchester Churches to the families of Colchester so we were delighted to see so many people come and enjoy what we had on offer.

“The event has really grown through the years and so have the activities we are able to provide.

“We have also got better at promoting ourselves.

“Saturday was a great day with the carnival in the evening meaning there was lots for families to enjoy.”