THOUSANDS of visitors celebrated rural life and the countryside at the Westmorland County Showground.

The sun was shining down on Crooklands for the 15th edition of Country Fest.

The event, which promotes the rural community, local businesses and farming, attracted around 5,500 visitors across both days.

The show raises funds for the Westmorland County Agricultural Society, an organisation dedicated to supporting farming and the countryside.

The family-orientated event offered a range of activities around the field, including a demonstration of Fell Ponies, giant tortoises and flyball.

Classic enthusiasts were in for a treat with an extensive display of vintage cars, bikes, tractors, and a Vintage Revival Marquee.

Throughout the weekend, many local businesses offered a vast range of crafts, from gin and tonic to brownies, pies and charcuterie.

Various competitions took place over the two days, including a ferret, a terrier and a rabbit show.

Similar to previous years, a school challenge took place with schools from South Cumbria.

This year the competition consisted of planting a salad crop inside a recycled animal mineral bucket and a flower display in an old pair of boots.

Due to the avian flu, organisers did not host the poultry show but replaced it with an egg show.

Entertainment took place all weekend next to the food court, which offered different cuisines from British to Italian, Jamaican and Thai.

Jackie Holmes, of Westmorland County Agricultural Society Ltd, said: "It is a two-day event and we try to encourage local people to come as there is something for everybody.

"This year we have made changes to the layout mainly because we have got a lot more craft traders so they needed a bigger marquee.

"Some of the changes that we had to adapt to run through the pandemic we have carried forward because they worked for the event.

"The event is developing all the time and we always take all the feedback from the public, traders and our volunteers and try and make it better for the next year."

The show will be back next year for its 16th edition.