WEYMOUTH celebrated in the sunshine – and enjoyed a return to 'normality' of sorts – as the Three Lions roared to victory in England's first game of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.
The atmosphere was electric at Weymouth Harbour yesterday where a giant screen was set up outside the Rendezvous for fans to watch the match.
It was given the go ahead by council officials who also approved part of Custom House Quay to be closed.
Scores of people were at the quay to watch England's 1-0 win over Croatia.
Locals and visitors were in high spirits at what appeared to be an upbeat and trouble-free event, under the watchful gaze of Rendezvous management and security staff.
The crowd erupted as Raheem Sterling took England into the lead in the second half of the match.
READ MORE: HUGE screen on Weymouth harbourside for Euros - but don’t throw drinks into the air
It was the first big screen event to be staged at the venue since 2019 - and attendees were clearly overjoyed to be able to come together and enjoy a social outing after a year of lockdown.
Stringent controls were put in place to restrict numbers and crowds were warned not to throw drinks during goal celebrations. Inevitably, the excitement spilled over at certain points, despite best efforts.
Speaking ahead of the match, Rendezvous boss Keith Treggiden said it felt "great" to finally be able to stage a big event for the town - despite it costing him £7,000.
"I woke up feeling anxious as it's been such a long time since we did anything like this - but I'm confident we've put everything in place to ensure it is a safe and fun event for Weymouth," he said.
"Our main priority, aside from putting in place stringent controls, is to enable people to enjoy themselves and feel something close to being back to normal. So far the atmosphere is fantastic. Even if I don't recoup what's been invested, I believe, 100 per cent, that we are doing something positive for the town."
The Rendezvous' investment also included taking care of the clean up once the party dispersed.
The game drew a mix of ages, with families and groups soaking up the atmosphere on the hottest weekend of the year so far.
One couple, Charlotte and Ashley, said they had travelled down from Wiltshire for the weekend.
"We're having such a good time enjoying the game," Charlotte said. "It's just great to be here and see the match with everyone."
Weymouth mum Kerry Dunn and son Isaac Johnson also went along.
"It's a great atmosphere - Isaac's never really watched football before - now he's loving it," Kerry said.
And Isaac echoed those sentiments: "I love it - I'm going to watch football on my iPad from now on - I want England to win the cup."
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