Patcham Duck Fayre's successful revival

The Fayre, the first to take place since 2005, saw Old London Road close to accommodate dozens of stands and amusements, with more stalls housed inside the Scout Hut and Memorial Hall.

Attractions included a fun RSPCA dog show, children’s entertainment, fairground rides courtesy of Cole’s funfair, all manner of classic fete foods and a performance by the Patcham Silver Band.

Sally Booth, chair of the Patcham Duck Fayre Revival Group, praised the hard work of the community in organising the event and the effort that went into recreating the atmosphere of the original Fayre.

She said: “As a parent in the 1990s I used to come to the original Duck Fayre, which was run by the 44th Brighton Scouts who are here today.

“They ran it for about ten years and our kids used to come down, and it was a lovely opportunity to meet other families and kids in the Patcham community.”

Mrs Booth, who is retired, became involved in organising a new Duck Fayre last summer after a discussion on the Patcham Community Facebook group.

She said: “There was a small meeting of us in my house, about 12 of us to begin with, but we were committed people who wanted to get it moving.

“At that point we agreed a date and what we were going to do, and it all ballooned from there.

“My husband has said it’s been like a full-time job for me, but I love and it has clearly worked.”

Jordan Nye, 22, of the 30th Brighton Scouting regiment, was in the stocks to raise money for Scouting.

He said: “It’s my first Duck Fayre, but I can’t believe how busy it is.

"The amount of people here is absolute crazy.”

Many of Patcham’s residents remember visiting the Duck Fayre as children.

The revival committee managed to find a 1999 Duck Fayre programme, and attempted to recreate as many of the attractions featured at the original fete as possible.

The fete’s unusual name is thought to have been inspired by Patcham’s resident wildfowl – ducks from the pond at All Saint’s Church used to wander down Church Hill into the village.

Patcham Councillor Lee Wares was also involved in organising the Fayre.

He said: “The best thing has been seeing all the thousands of our constituents getting together and having a really great time.”

Profits raised from the event will go to the Patcham Community Association fund to be distributed to local causes.

When asked if the Duck Fayre would return next year, Mrs Booth replied: “Definitely.”