Thousands of people braved rain and wind today to celebrate everything positive about South Oxhey with bands, dancing and a uniting performance by the area's newly created community choir.

Every household in South Oxhey and beyond appeared to have dedicated their bank holiday Monday to what many would rate as a prime contender for the area's event of the year.

The centre piece of the South Oxhey Festival was the community choir, fronted by an animated Gareth Malone who seemed delighted at the progress he made since he first visited the area for the BBC's The Choir programme.

The choir was joined by its younger, equally talented counterpart, a collective made up of children from every primary school in the area, joining in for renditions of Oh Happy Day, Walking on Sunshine and Don't Look Back in Anger.

Mr Malone dedicated the performance of the Oasis hit to South Oxhey resident Matthew Purdham who died in a road accident on Good Friday.

While a large portion of South Oxhey graced the stage for the show, most of the rest stood proudly in the crowd exchanging waves between songs and ignoring the sudden cold weather that had caught many in summer clothing off guard.

Towards the end of the performance Mr Malone joked about not feeling safe when he first started work in South Oxhey, applauding a thriving community for changing his misconceptions and welcoming him.

The choir was not the only local talent on display as dozens of musicians took to the main stage and a separate talent tent to entertain the revellers throughout the day. Highlighting the local nature of the event, and the wealth of talent in the area, an accompanying programme apologised for the sole act that came from just outside and not within South Oxhey.

Students from secondary schools Westfield, Queens', Bushey Hall and Rickmansworth put everything into a battle of the bands competition, giving judges a hard time deciding on a winner.

Bushey Hall's Hypnosis kicked off first, blasting out feel-good covers of Depeche Mode, Dolly Parton and Maroon Five with about as many musicians as could fit on the stage.

Then came Feeling Baxi from Rickmansworth School, smoothly swaggering through The Killers, Hives and a crowd-pleasing Ghostbusters theme.

Queens' stuck firmly to the 1970s, trudging through Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and AC DC, while effectively adding an oboe to the traditional line-up.

Crowd favourites Westfield went through the sounds and motions of two Arctic Monkeys songs and Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis winning applause and foot tapping from even the elderly in the audience and picking up the prize from competition organisers Sanctuary Art of Sound.

On the main stage the award winning KliK's Dance Academy and Gypsy Booth School of Dance stunned viewers with their moves while Taiko Drummers from Northwood School (all South Oxhey residents), local funk group Fully Funktional, crowd-favourites Soulfish and Sold as Seen helped provide a constant stream of music.

Drawing in one of the largest, and most curious, crowds in the Talent Tent was eight-year-old Sofia Little, who took on Connie Talbot with renditions of Over the Rainbow and The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond, accompanied by her father Kenny.

Workshops, demonstrations, fair rides and community stalls kept attendees happy during the few gaps in stage entertainment.