Silks & Hoops were the main attraction at the gala.Silks & Hoops were the main attraction at the gala.
Silks & Hoops were the main attraction at the gala.

14 photos of Bolsover Gala that show thousands of visitors having a 'fantastic day' of entertainment

Thousands of people flocked to Bolsover Gala to see aerial dancers, stilt-walkers, a puppet show and singers as the popular family attraction returned after a two-year pause due to the pandemic.

Visitors lapped up the fun and the sun as they watched the entertainment and browsed 100 stalls at Hornscroft Park on Sunday.

Michelle Smith, who co-organises the gala with Janet Woodhead, said: “It was a fantastic day. There must have been between four and six thousand visitors. The sun was out but it was very windy.”

The big attraction was the Silks & Hoops aerial dancers who performed in the main arena. Young pupils of NB Dance Academy entertained the crowd as did local singers Anthony Parsons, who appeared on the television contest Starstruck, and River Hopkins. River’s dad David Hopkins brought his puppet show Glewy The Alien and Friends to the gala and stilt-walkers Platinum Events hit the heights between the gusts of wind.

Michelle said: “The gala is one of those events that is really well looked forward to – people come from all over the place. One year people came to visit the castle, followed the noise from the gala and they have come back ever since.”

Support for this year’s 15th annual gala included a grant from Old Bolsover Town Council, a raffle run by Bolsover Rotary Club, Nal Plant supplying generators and the proprietor of Twin Oaks providing the use of a van.

Organising the event is a family affair with Michelle and Janet roping in their children and in Janet’s case, grandchildren as well, to help out during their 13-hour shift on gala day. Michelle said: “We don't hire any stewards, we do it all ourselves.”

All proceeds from the gala, which is hosted by Friends of Bolsover Parks, go towards putting on the popular event the following year.

Michelle is a committee member on the Friends group. She said: “The reason I went on board was when my son was 18 months old we went to Hornscroft Park and it was a bit rundown and had broken glass so I complained. I got a phone call asking if I wanted to be on the committee and I've been there ever since... my son is 24 now. The group has raised money and raised awareness and got all the parks done up in the area.”