THE region's biggest village event, which this year celebrates the golden jubilee of its revival, will take place over the weekend of June 29th and 30th.

Horndon on the Hill Feast & Fayre traditionally harks back to the 13th Century, when the village was granted a Royal Charter to hold a feast and celebration on the last weekend in June.

The event was revived in 1974 and Horndon Church was open during the weekend with a themed Flower Festival.

Many crafts and skills will be on show at Feast and Fayre

This tradition continues and Feast & Fayre has expanded massively over the years to provide thousands of local people and visitors with a weekend of music, entertainment, stalls, crafts, food and drink.

The Horndon 10K has also been an annual fixture on the Sunday of Feast & Fayre and over 500 runners are expected to take part this year.

There will be many performances by the Thurrock based Complete Commedia Company, local Morris dancers and musicians and bands from across the area.

The tug of war challenge will be the culmination of the Feast and Fayre events.

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The tug-of-war between the two village pubs, The Bell and The Swan, will conclude the weekend's activities.

The headline charity to benefit from this year's event will be the Lennox Children's Cancer Fund which provides a lifeline for children and their families experiencing the trauma and heartache of a childhood cancer diagnosis.

In the Golden Jubilee year of its revival, volunteers running the event are hoping for a bumper celebration with the support of local organisations, charities and businesses.

"We really hope our jubilee year will be our best ever, but we need as much help as possible to bring it all together," said Nick McDonald, co-chair of the voluntary organising committee.

There is still time for stallholders wishing to take a roadside or under cover pitch at Feast & Fayre 24. The contact for booking a place is Melanie Devonshire [email protected]

Horndon-on-the-Hill village will be closed to traffic between 9am-5pm on both days (June 29th and 30th).