Downpours of rain did not dampen the spirits of revellers at this year’s Harpenden Carnival, which raised £6,000 for charity.

Organisers braved heavy showers to set up Rothamsted Park, however, by 1pm the skies had cleared enough for 3,500 visitors to bask in glorious sunshine.

Russell Husbands, RoundTable Chair said: "We were delighted to see such a great turnout.

"With the rain in the morning we were concerned but in the end it turned out to be a great day."

An amazing aerobatic display and gravity defying stunts were just some of the highlights of the carnival, which is organised by Harpenden Roundtable for more than 40 years.

Twelve-year-old Dylan Bentley said: "I couldn’t believe how low he flew.

"I thought he was going to hit one of the trees but he went straight up with a trail of smoke, it was awesome". Other highlights included the school bands on the big stage, which drew a great crowd as well as the Dog show and motor and mountain bike display teams.

Isabelle, 12 and Tabitha Simpson, 10 said: "We really liked the rides, they were really scary but the man with the dancing sheep was brilliant."

Families were joined by the town Mayor, Mary Maynard, who visited many of the stalls and charities as well as Miss Hertfordshire International.

Overall £6,000 was raised for charities including Great Ormond Street, Peace Hospice in Watford, NOAH Enterprise Luton , Breast Cancer Care and Community Meeting Point, Harpenden.

A further £1,500 was raised in aid of local groups including the scouts and Red Cross.

Paul Pepperrell, carnival chair said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to Tangent, Inner Wheel, 41 club and Circle for their support and help putting today together.

"We have been able to raise a great amount for our good causes and it is in no small part down to the groups that help us. I would also like to thank Erik Meert, Matt Verdier, Markus Aidley and Eddy De Jong who were instrumental in the organisation, we couldn’t have done it without them. "

This year is the 49th Harpenden Carnival and with next year marking the 50th, everyone at Harpenden RoundTable hopes to make it the best ever.

Many people have missed the procession which had to go when a local group could no longer provide support along the route.

Mr Husbands said: "We would really like to bring the Procession back for 2015.

"It used to provide a really nice focal point but it will take a lot of work and support from the Town Council and retailers "A lot of people don’t realize how much it takes with the logistics, health and safety and man power for the procession, if we can get the support, we really want to bring it back for the 50th Carnival."

To volunteer in next year’s carnival visit: http://www.harpenden.roundtable.co.uk/ or tweet @harpendenRT for more information.