A local housebuilder has stepped in to assist with additional costs faced by the organisers of this year’s annual May Day celebrations in a South Gloucestershire village.

Tytherington May Day Fair on May 6 – the May bank holiday – is an annual event which has been going on ‘for ever,’ according to the event coordinators Debbie Brock and Val Johnson. They say that the rising costs, including insurance and marquee hire, could have made it difficult to stage this year’s celebrations without a £250 donation from Cotswold Homes.

The firm’s sales and marketing director, Terri Hayes Pugh, commented: ‘We have only been working in Tytherington for a few weeks but the welcome we have received already makes us feel part of the village so we are keen to contribute to this year’s May Day fun.’

The housebuilder is creating what Terri describes as ‘a leafy enclave at the heart of the village.’ Named The Paddocks, it will comprise a mix of two-bedroom bungalows and three- and four-bedroom high-specification detached family homes.

A field close to the Swan pub will be the centre of the May Day event with stalls and entertainments being provided by almost every organisation in the village.

‘In addition to the parish church and the village shop they include the pre-school, History Group and WI, all of whom will benefit from the proceeds of the event,’ reports Debbie.

Maypole dancers as young as five and a Zumba Dance Group from Thornbury will be among those providing entertainment throughout the day.

The event attracts visitors from Thornbury and nearby villages. Cotswold Homes’ marketing suite in Chipping Sodbury will open so visitors thinking about moving to the village can see what is planned in the months ahead.

‘We’re overwhelmed with interest and several reservations have been taken already,’ says Terri.