PEOPLE love bonfire night judging by the crowds who turned out at Four Marks on Friday night.

It is a celebration that brings the community together and in recent years has also become a fundraiser for local charities.

Maintaining the tradition they began nine years ago, Four Marks Primary School attracted a record crowd of 1,000 children, parents and friends of the community, and they also scored another record by raising £5,000 from entry money and donations.

The money will be used to buy book bags for every child in reception year and to fund special events for all the children, an Easter egg hunt and Christmas party, and additional learning resources including upgrading the classroom whiteboards.

The event was organised by the Friends of Four Marks School Parent Teacher Association, and the governors, staff and volunteers worked hard leading up to and throughout the day to ensure that the event ran smoothly.

The pupils made the Guy who sat on top of a giant bonfire, which was built by the Scouts, and Gascoigne Pees Estate Agents sponsored the evening providing the guests with a bar, barbecue and a popular hog roast, kindly donated by Little Duffy Ltd.

At the end of the evening, Faye Ham, chair of the PTA, said: “We were thrilled to see so many people turn out to support the event which is one of the highlights of the school calendar year.

“The event raises thousands of pounds for the school and the numbers achieved are a reflection of the hard work put in to organise it.

“I would like to say a big thank you to all those involved.”