THE organisers of Wirral's inaugural Farmfeast festival - which brought thousands of food and drink fans to the borough over the weekend - as an overwhelming success.

Around 30,000 food and drink fans from across the northwest braved the rain for the event at Claremont Farm in Bebington.

The event, which returned this year after a hiatus in 2013, rewarded festival-goers with a galaxy of stalls dedicated to the region’s best produce.

There were tents crammed with artisan chocolates, cheeses, breads and beers stood alongside marquees housing demonstrations from celebrity chefs, including Great British Bake Off runner-up Brendan Lynch, and cocktail 'mixologists'.

A live sheep shearing show, featuring dancing sheep, was the main attraction in the lower meadow area and musicians entertained visitors at two stages across the site.

Mayor of Wirral, Cllr Dave Mitchell, opened proceedings on Sunday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour around the site alongside Lady Mayoress Sue Mitchell.

As well as the sights and sounds of Farm Feast, there was also something for music fans with Livestock, a programme of live music headlined by former New Order and Joy Division guitarist Peter Hook and the Light.

Reflecting on the weekend, Claremont Farm's Andrew Pimbley said: “I am overwhelmed by the success of Farm Feast, there was a fantastic turn out over the weekend and the feedback has been incredible.

“Taking a well-established festival and adapting it to attract a wider audience was a challenge, but has certainly paid off and we created something that everyone involved is incredibly proud of. Now all that’s left to do is get cracking on Farm Feast 2015!”

Liverpool event organisers Orb Events worked closely with the Pimbley family as co-organisers and co-creators and were instrumental in delivering this fantastic festival.

Debbie Boyd, director of Orb Events, said; "It was a dream opportunity to work with such great people and we are grateful that all our hard work paid off.

“We are proud to add Farm Feast to our portfolio of events and look forward to continuing this success with all our exciting projects and events taking place throughout 2014 and 2015."