THE festival must go on – this was the sentiment of the organisers of the Thurston Festival as the soggy forecast over the weekend threatened the event.

Brian Pettitt, chairman of the Salmon Trust which is behind the event, said: “We know lots of other events have been cancelled. Rather than have a complete loss and cancel the event because of the weather, it has gone ahead.

“We have high hopes for next year because we honestly believe it’s the weather that has caused the problem for us.”

He said visitor numbers were lower than usual – down by half on Saturday night and yesterday.

This year the festival was held for the first time at Thurston Rugby Club, having previously been in the grounds of the community college.

The event opened on Friday with the beer festival and bands, highlights on Saturday were the Thurston Prom and the firework display and yesterday was all about celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, with the Diamond Jubilee Fair being opened by the Countess of Euston.

The line-up included music from Booty & the Beatz and The Bohemians on Friday night.

On Saturday, there was a celebration of young musical talent with performances by Thurston Community College students plus the Haverhill Silver Band, the Rockabellas with their vintage vocals and former community college student singer Clare Presland.

And on Sunday there was a Jubilee picnic, a visit by an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter, plus entertainment and exhibits.

Money raised from the festival, which costs about �20,000 to put on, is to provide better facilities for young people in west Suffolk and the Thurson area in particular, including the cadets.

Mr Pettitt believed this year’s event had broken even or perhaps made a loss.

The Salmon Trust is part of 63 (Thurston) Squadron Air Training Corps.