Before the end of her term of office, Mayor of Pembroke, Clr. Melanie Phillips, and Clr. Aden Brinn attended the official opening ceremony of the Hereford Fair last week.

Clr. Phillips commented: "What a spectacle! Hereford Fair is called the May Fair, and its history is re-enacted in a brightly painted brewers dray! Namely a Weston Cider Dray.

"His most worshipful Mayor of Hereford stands alongside the Lord Bishop of the city and standing between them is 12-and-a-half bushels of wheat. The wheat is an ancient payment from the mayor to the bishop for allowing the fair to use the streets of the city for originally nine days. It's now only three. The bishop inspects the sacks to see that its good grain and not mouldy and then declares that it is fit for purpose.

"It was a very hot day as well as being an extremely colourful and enjoyable one.  Lovely to end my duties in such an interesting and charming way."

Clrs. Phillips and Brinn were invited by Mr. Abie Danter chairman of the showman's guild. Hereford is a showman's guild city and Pembroke a guild town.

Following the official opening of the fair, the streets of Hereford then came alive for the three day festival which was expected to see thousands of visitors flock to the city centre.