THE first edition of an event celebrating all things Autumn was a 'huge success' with masses gathering in the town centre on Saturday. 

Autumn Fest took place in Barrow and offered visitors a variety of free family activities, creative workshops and educational demonstrations throughout the day.

As part of the event, activities included a pop-up pumpkin patch, a mobile caving experience and even a family disco.

The event was organised by Barrow Business Improvement District in partnership with BarrowFull, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, CancerCare and Walney Musical Theatre Company, with sponsorship from BAE Systems.

BID Project Manager Paul Hodgson said the event was a 'huge success' with the number of families attending being 'far beyond' their initial expectations. 

Mr Hodgson said: "The pop-up pumpkin patch proved particularly popular, with us having to re-stock this part way through the day.  The pumpkins were supplied by businesses within the town centre, including Pete's Fruit & Veg in Dalton Road and Tesco Express in Rawlinson Street.

"Other parts of the event which proved particularly popular were the mobile caving experience, which saw participants crawl through over 90ft of tunnels. 

"The creative workshops run by BarrowFull, Art Gene and Artworks 4 All were also very successful, with visitors being able to learn new skills, including how to make their own paper."

Following the success of this year's event, Barrow BID hopes to make Autumn Fest an annual event.

Mr Hodgson added: "None of this would have been possible without the kind support of BAE systems, who sponsored this year's event, or all the other partner organisations and volunteers who came together to deliver the event on a day.  A massive thank you to everyone involved." 

BID Volunteer Director Mai Harrison said: "It was amazing to see so many people attend our first-ever Autumn Fest and to see so many happy faces. 

"When planning this event, we wanted it to be as accessible and inclusive as possible while encouraging as many people as possible to visit and spend time within our town centre." 

Barrow BID would like to hear feedback from those who attended the event to  take the time to fill out their survey: https://forms.gle/12Wxg93DRzXtzBhq6