For nine days in August, St Anns Road in Harrow played host to a fun-filled summer fete, drawing large crowds to the town centre.

The busiest day saw more than 80,000 visitors to the town centre – nearly 20,000 more people compared to the same day last year.

Footfall for the week starting August 15 was up 15 per cent from the same period the previous year.

As well as kids’ rides, swingball, and large garden games, local and visiting families were also treated to prize giveaways and impressive displays of balloon modelling.

Hosted by the Harrow Business Improvement District (BID), which aims to encourage visitors and improve the look and feel of the town centre, the event proved to be extremely popular, especially in the glorious sunshine.

“We were delighted to see the Harrow Summer Fete was a spectacular success, with thousands of people coming to the area to enjoy the fun, games and entertainment we arranged,” said BID chief executive Andy Stubbs.

“It was a joy to walk around the town centre in the sunshine and see so many smiling faces. We had some lovely comments from visitors, and hope that our events will continue to bring the local community together and attract new people to the town centre.”

Pieter Strombeck, centre manager at St Anns Shopping Centre, added: “The fete looked fantastic and it was wonderful to see the town busy with activity.

“The event offered something for everyone with activities to keep the little ones entertained while parents indulged in some retail therapy.”