WATCHET Street Fairs, which take place on the first Sunday of every month, are going from strength to strength.

From the first one in May this year the Fairs now have over 30 traders and have been attracting large numbers of visitors to Watchet thanks to the lively entertainment and stalls with everything from vintage clothing to pottery to artisan food.

The next fair will take place this Sunday and entertainment lined up includes shanty singers, musicians and buskers, poets and Dave Milton’s famous Punch and Judy, which will be performing throughout the day.

There is some change in the layout of the Street Fair however, with the majority of the traders now situated on the town’s Esplanade rather than within small pitches dotted along Swain Street and Market Street.

Cllr Rosemary Woods said: “The original intent of the Street Fairs, when we started in May was to dot visiting traders around Watchet, on Swain Street and Market Street so that visitors would be encouraged to explore those streets and visit the shops there.

"We have been experimenting for four months now, and we are happy to grow on the enormous success of siting the traders together on the Esplanade, with entertainment and food.

"It is clear that the number of visitors to Watchet on that day is growing, which is fantastic.

"We will make special provision of encouraging visitors to also explore the shops in the town, which stay open on Street Fair days and are a wonderful asset to the town.”

The organisers of the events, Watchet Coastal Communities Team is made up of local people, businesses and organisations in Watchet working on a volunteer basis.

Cllr Woods added: “Watchet’s CCT Street Fair Team work incredibly hard to make these enormously successful events happen and we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone involved, for giving your time to help keep Watchet a vibrant, lively and fun place to visit.”

The Fairs are funded by the central government national initiative Coastal Communities which aims to boost Britain’s coastal towns. 118 Coastal Community Teams were created last year and given a share of £1.18m to help drive forward coastal areas growth.

Pitches are from £15, to book a pitch contact Molly Quint on 01984 632592 or email: quint407@btinternet.com

For more information go to the Watchet Street Fair Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/watchetstreetfairs.