DAFFODILS bloomed just in time for Thriplow s annual spring festival. Despite initial fears that this year s Thriplow Daffodil weekend would be bereft of the eponymous flowers due to the after-effects of a cold winter, a smattering of yellow greeted thous

DAFFODILS bloomed just in time for Thriplow's annual spring festival.

Despite initial fears that this year's Thriplow Daffodil weekend would be bereft of the eponymous flowers due to the after-effects of a cold winter, a smattering of yellow greeted thousands of visitors who flocked to the South Cambridgeshire village for the two day event.

Lynne Turner, from the organising committee, said: "We had quite a few flowers out in the end, although there weren't the swathes of yellow we've seen in previous years.

"But once you get into the village the main attraction isn't really the daffodils anyway because there's so much going on.

"I had several people say to me that if they'd wanted to just look at daffodils they could have stayed at home. People come from far and wide because they know it is such a good all-round event."

Despite an unfavourable weather forecast, the festival was bathed in sunshine on the Sunday, with coach parties coming from as far afield as Sussex and Lincolnshire.

Mrs Turner added: "It was like a summer's day on Sunday, with people sitting on the green eating their picnics while the steel band played in the back ground.

"We've still got money coming in, but the initial total we've raised is �16,000, and there is still money coming in," she said.

This year's festival was supporting the Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge.