The Pinehurst circle was buzzing with activity on Saturday, as it hosted the community’s annual Fun Day.

The event is a permanent fixture on the calendar, so popular organisers don’t publicise it to keep numbers manageable.

“The Fun Day is about showing off and celebrating all the good things in our community so people can be proud of living in Pinehurst,” said organiser Simon Halls.

It has been running for about 15 years and attracts around 3000 attendees each year.

“To be honest, I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve hosted it,” Mr Halls added.

“We have lots of groups doing amazing things in the area, yet some people still think good things aren’t happening here. But just look around at what’s here today,” Mr Halls said.

“When people hear the word Pinehurst, often they think of perhaps motor bikes and gangs. An event like this really changes people’s perception of the area,” added Dan Tobin, one of the volunteers for event.

30 different stalls and activities were on offer including rides and inflatable games, a dog show and a crockery smashing contest. Charity and information stalls were set up for SNDogs, Swindon’s Women’s Aid, and the Chronic Pain Awareness Group, among other causes.

“We’re also trying to help local people engage with the organisations serving their community,” added Mr Halls. “So they know more about the services on offer to them.”

Kerrie Barrett, chairman of the Chronic Pain Awareness Group said: “This is just a wonderful event which really fosters community spirit in the area. It’s really well attended and everyone seems to have a good time.”

“It’s great to be able to get the word out there more about what we do,” added Sarah Nash, vice chair of the group. “Some people in the community still don’t know we exit, so coming to this and speaking with us gives them the opportunity to get involve if they need to,” she said.

Mrs Barrett added: “Most of the rides and activities are completely free. Being a low-income area, this means a lot of the local children get the chance to experience things they perhaps wouldn’t normally get to. I know they all look forward to it each year.”

Jessica Bascombe, trustee of the rehoming charity SNDogs said: “I’m a Pinehurst resident myself and this is a lovely way of bringing people together, to support each other and be part of the community. The dogs enjoy meeting all the new people too!”

Single mum Monica Alves recently moved to the area and helped with setting up for the day. “It’s a really good thing for us to get involved in, being new to Pinehurst. My daughter struggles a bit with English, but she has now found a friend and gone off to play, which is so important for her and for me too. We’re really enjoying the day.”

“It’s a brilliant event”, added Nicholas Imbusia, who came from Westlea for the afternoon. “Especially for the kids. We had such a great time last year, we came again today.”