One of St Albans' fastest-growing music festivals attracted record crowds earlier this month, raising more than £10,000 for the Marlborough Science Academy.

The festival - a day chock-a-block with music, craft stalls, food and numerous workshops - is held at the St Albans-based Academy each year to raise money to buy equipment for the school.

This year more than 2,000 party-goers enjoyed music from bands including Bedfordshire swing group the CC Smugglers, St Albans punk outfit Waiting for Katherine and Bright Conclusions, who recently won St Albans Battle of the Bands.

Kick-started seven years ago by Richard Sullivan, the annual event has expanded year-on-year and has so far raised more than £30,000 for the Academy to buy musical instruments, sports and IT equipment.

A spokesperson for the festival says: "When we started in 2010 no one really knew what to expect and we just about broke even that year. So to be able to raise so much for the school this year is great news and makes all the effort worthwhile.

"We have a relatively small team of dedicated volunteers who put this festival on every year and when people come for the first time they are amazed at the standard of the event."

Now the M Festival team are looking to recruit more volunteers to help with preparations for next year's festival, which will be held on Saturday, July 9, 2016.

For more information about the festival call 07952 110410 or visit themfestival.co.uk