Thousands of people turned out for events held over the weekend to celebrate the great outdoors.

Yesterday, the Melton Country Fair made a welcome return to the town after a three-year absence, bringing people from all over the country flocking to Play Close park.

Although scaled down from previous years, there was no shortage of activities lined up as entertainers, craftsmen and independent businesses showcased an array of locally-produced food, drink, crafts and music.

A Viking encampment, dog racing and archery were among some of the other attractions that kept people entertained.

Sally Knight, 34, of Melton, came along with her six-year-old niece, Georgina Riley – who was particularly enjoying the accordion-backed morris dancing display.

She said: "I came to the last one they had here so I'm pleased they have brought it back. There is plenty going on."

Among the independent traders there was Jane Weiss, who runs Cossington's Just Soaps and Body Care, which specialises in hand-made soaps produced using locally-sourced natural ingredients.

She said: "People seem to be enjoying themselves. It's great weather for it today and there are a lot of people here."

This year's event had a strong emphasis on locally-produced foods and for the first time included a Green and Growing area where budding gardeners could seek advice from the experts on producing their own fruit and vegetables.

Organiser Sallie Hooper, of fair organiser Leicestershire Food Links, said she estimated about 4,000 people went to the re-launched country fair.

She said: "In terms of size, it is probably smaller this year than when we last ran the show in 2006, but this gives us something to build on."

On Saturday, the Heart of the Forest Festival, in Measham, drew its biggest crowd yet as some 8,000 people descended on the village's leisure centre for a day of entertainment, which included marching bands, birds of prey, steel bands, motorcycle stunts and an RAF fly-past. It started with a colourful parade through the village of 800 people in carnival costumes, accompanied by music from the Coventry Corps of Drums, Birmingham's Premier Samba Band and Donisthorpe Scout Band. One of the draws of the day was a martial arts routine performed by Chinese Kung Fu masters the Shaolin monks, who were invited after organisers discovered they had set up a base in the village while touring Europe.

Organiser Bob Bissell said: "It was quite a sight as they performed in their bright orange suits – their performance was spectacular.

"The whole day went so much better than I had expected. We have never had anywhere near that number of people here for the festival before."