Cloudy weather in the morning deterred some visitors but St Mark’s fair, held recently, still attracted a good crowd.

’It went well considering the weather,’ said Angela Southern, organiser of the fair that is large for a small village.

’From 1pm it cleared up, it was not hot baking weather, there were not as many people as in previous years.

’But the collection (at the fair field entrance, for motor neurone disease) was on a par with previous years.’

Life long village resident Edna Callow opened the fair and talked about previous princesses ’watching them grow up and some have moved to countries all over the world but have a fondness for St Mark’s and come back.’

Her son Paul crowned princess Daniella Bettridge, 15, and her attendants her sister Olivia, eight, and Isabelle Mackerel, also eight; the buttonhole boys were twins Ffinlo and Illiam Thomas, aged six.

Cup winners: Theo Head, best overall; Holly Faragher, wild flowers; Helen Taggart, original Manx poem; Ffinlo Thomas, children’s sports; Judy Morrey, adult handicraft and confectionery; Jane Arzt, fruit cake; Nici Fletcher-Causer, Victoria sandwich; Pauline Keenan, blueberry pie; Marlene Looney, bonnag; Sylvia McCubbin, drop scones. Miscellaneous: Pat Harper and the tea ladies, opener’s choice; Graham Postlethwaite, classic cars; Eban Gelling, vintage farm machinery; Isabel Collister, decorated Wellington Boot; Bernie Wade, Morris Minor Club, chairman’s choice.