PIRATES invaded Royston this weekend and raised £2,500 for Royston Parish Church.

The church, in Melbourn Street, held the fete on Saturday, with organisers deciding that this year’s event should have a nautical feel.

Charlotte Wicks, from the organising committee, explained: “We chose to have a pirate theme this year, so a lot of people dressed up and we had a few pirate-related games and activities for visitors to try.

“The weather wasn’t the best, we had one or two heavy showers, but overall we had a good morning and enjoyed ourselves enormously.”

Many different stalls were on offer for visitors, including a popular cake stall, while Royston’s mayor, Cllr Bob Smith, was on hand to conduct a prize draw, with prizes donated by many local firms.

The stocks were also erected outside the church, with various members of the congregation taking a turn as targets.

“We raised over £2,500 for the church funds,” said Charlotte. “This was a bit down on previous years, but considering the weather we were very pleased with that total, and a lot of people put in a lot of hard work to make the day a success.”