DRENCHED revellers saved the day and helped the first community-run fete in Ferndale raise more than £4,000.

Organisers’ hearts sank when the heavens opened on the day of the event in August.

The torrential rain was so bad Swindon Town’s match against Bristol Rovers was abandoned because part of the pitch was flooded.

Elsewhere in the town centre the roads became rivers, shops put sandbags in their doorways to stop the water getting in and shoppers scurried for cover wherever they could find it.

At the Southbrook Inn local band Uptown Junction were half-way through their live set when the rain started coming down in stair rods and their audience started looking for shelter.

Phil Harwood, chairman of Ferndale Residents Association, which organised the fete, said: “The rain was so heavy that people had to go in the pub for shelter and nobody could walk home.”

The event was supposed to finish at 5pm, but people wanted to stay and were determined not to let the rain spoil their day.

So when the rain finally cleared up at 4pm they carried on and the fete didn’t finish until 9.30pm.

Mr Harwood said they were stunned when they counted up later and realised just how much money they had raised during the day.

“Everybody felt sorry because of the weather but it just goes to show the spirit of the British,” he said.

After paying bills, this week the association was due to hand over a cheque for £1,588 to the Great Western Hospital’s Brighter Futures appeal for a radiotherapy unit.

Another £1,200 was being split between All Saints Church, Ferndale Football Club and the Scouts, who helped on the day.

The barbecue had gone down a storm. “We couldn’t get the food going fast enough,” he said. “We just sold out of everything.”

They had to go out for more supplies of hotdogs and burgers, they had to get more gas for the barbecue and all of the hog roast was eaten up.

“We learned some big lessons from the food side of it.”

And it proved such a success the association is not only planning to run it again next year, but has plans to make it even bigger and better.

“We’ve decided that because of the weather we will make it a two day event next year with more music,” said Mr Harwood.

“People were happy, obviously, to see it back again and some have offered to help next year.”

The fete was organised for many years by Bob Downing when he was landlord of the pub, but after he retired it finished.

But residents in the area missed it so much that two years after it was last held they decided to have a go at running a summer fair themselves with the help of the new landlord David Kearns.

They invited Mayor of Swindon Eric Shaw and set up all the traditional games and sideshows.

The residents’ association meets at the inn to discuss housing, community or environmental issues affecting the area.