It was a day full of fun and games, arts and crafts, giant onions, owls, music and medieval battles at the Middleton Hall Retirement Village Show.
Friends, families and visitors from the local area joined residents from the retirement village at Middleton St George near Darlington’s care services and independently owned retirement properties at the event on Saturday 14 September.
The day was packed with activities and entertainment including a range of performances, live music, a marquee full of stalls, cream teas, a barbecue, ice creams and a family zone with bouncy castle and games.
Birds of prey specialists, Durham-based Gosling Raptors, talked about their fleet of owls which visitors could hold and be photographed with.
Hurworth Concert Band entertained an enthusiastic audience with its performance of music ranging from Lady Gaga and Cold Play to more traditional tunes.
Show visitors were able to experience a medieval battle camp and chat to characters from Hartlepool-based 13th Century medieval reenactment group Vanguard, who were also pitted against each other in a series of battles and combat taking up the arms and armour of 13th century England.
Displays of arts and crafts, floral arrangements, home-grown and home-made produce were on show in the marquee for visitors to admire along with stalls from independent traders. Sellers ranged from home-made jewellery, soaps, fragrance, glassware, chutneys and preserves alongside children’s books and clothing.
Charities benefitted from the day with stalls from Guide Dogs for the Blind and Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice with Middleton Hall Retirement Village’s tombola featuring prize donations from the employee owned village’s co-owners, residents, families and stallholders also raising funds for the Middlesbrough-based charity.
Visitors could book a reiki massage session on the day from Sedgefield-based Calming Soul, and adults as well as children enjoyed the bouncy castle and penalty shootout attractions in the family zone.
Food choices on offer included a barbecue, cream teas, a pop-up shop in the village’s Pavilion and an ice-cream cart from Darlington business Good Day Sundae.
Middleton Hall Retirement Village Hospitality Manager, Clare Robson, said: “The sun shone down on our Village Show. It was a wonderful day for our residents and visitors, and it was lovely to welcome the local community too. A big thank you and well done to all our co-owners and residents who showcased their talents in the arts, craft and produce classes.”