Hundreds of residents and visitors flocked to Southwell on Portland for a lively street fair.

Returning for a sixth year, the Southwell Street Fayre drew crowds of families to the village on Saturday, offering live music, fairground rides and plenty of beer.

Organised by Pauline and Geoff Daniels, along with Kirsi D'Avola of the Eight Kings pub, the fair aimed to raised thousands of pounds for island charities.

"It's been brilliant," said Ms D'Avola. "Turn-out's been better than ever."

She explained that once the funds - raised from donations and the proceeds from sales - had been tallied, donations would be made to a number of Portland-based charities; last year, the main beneficiary was the Osprey Leisure Centre.

Co-organiser Mrs Daniels meanwhile said the fair had raised some £2,500 the previous year.

"We're hoping to beat that this year," she said. "We think we can do it."

The festival, sponsored by island firms Portland Stone and AAI Care, as well as Ms Davola's pub, hosted a wide-ranging set of stalls and attractions, including local produce, a fire engine from Portland fire station, fairground rides and live music from 'psychedelic surf' band The Surfin' Birds - who declined to charge a fee for their performance.

Also present was a stall run by volunteers from military charity SSAFA, formerly known as the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association.

Martin Davis, a former member of the Royal Navy who now combines volunteering for SSAFA with his day job with counselling service Relate in Dorchester, said there had been 'great engagement' from visitors to the fayre.

"It's going very well," Mr Davis said. "Portland has a big ex-forces community, and lots of them have come up and said how much charities like ours mean to them.

"It's all been very positive."

Among the visitors enjoying the fair were Penny and Joe Atherson, holidaymakers from Andover in Hampshire. Watching their seven-year-old daughter Carlie travel around the merry-go-round in a small car, the couple said the event had 'a lovely atmosphere'.

"It's nice to see community events like this doing so well," Mrs Atherson said. "If we're on Portland again next year, we'll definitely come back."