RIPLEY Scout Group celebrated the successful return of their popular music festival Ripley Rocks last Saturday.

“We missed two years because of the pandemic and it was so good to be back,” said Peter Hookins, one of the organisers.

“Everyone had a great time in the glorious warm weather, we seemed to have all of Ripley village there! The attendance was back to pre-pandemic levels, which was pleasing.

“People brought picnics and sat out, and the beer tent was doing good business. In fact, we ran out of Pimms.”

The one-day event, first launched in 2008, raises funds for the Scout group and other local charities.

There was a mix of live music on the main stage and on the acoustic stage, with featured bands  including the Surrey Pumas, Sultana and Red Hoax Chili Peppers.

“We haven’t finished counting all the proceeds but it’s fair to say that we’ve done extremely well for the Scout group,” Peter added. “One of the Scouts, I believe, is going to the next World Jamboree.

“All the hard work paid off, thanks to our army of volunteers. We could never make it happen without them.”