An estimated 10,000 people crowded into the town centre on Monday for the Ledbury Country Carnival, as organisers celebrated one of the most successful events in recent years.

Steve Clegg, chairman of the Ledbury Carnival Committee, said: "It just looked good and the size of the crowd was comparable with the biggest. I think the country theme this year got people interested because we're a country town.

"The Yetties also hit the right note, getting everybody singing. It was a good-natured crowd and a lovely atmosphere.

"Sponsorship this year was good and we did well with the bucket collections, although we haven't done our sums yet."

Every year, Ledbury Carnival needs a fighting fund of around £6,000 to go ahead. Mr Clegg is confident that the reserves will be there for the 30th anniversary in 2004.

There were 29 individual sponsors for this year's carnival, not including the individual raffle prizes offered by Ledbury businesses.

The theme for next year's anniversary carnival has still to be decided.

This will be one thing up for discussion at a Ledbury Carnival Committee open meeting at the Market House on September 29, from 8pm. The committee will be looking for more helpers to help celebrate three consecutive decades of the Ledbury Carnival.

Mr Clegg said: "If there is to be a carnival next year we need more helpers, because we're getting a bit stretched. There are only about a dozen of us, and we could do with four more, to allow for turnover."

The committee is also looking for around ten more marshals to help with crowd control.

The mayor of Ledbury, Coun Keith Francis, praised the carnival for being "very much a community event, the sort of thing that Ledbury does well".

The winners of the Carnival treasure hunt were: 1, Sarah Morgan (£30); 2, Philippa Coomber (£15); 3, Kate Coomber (£5).