THE 11th Swanage Folk Festival left summer season worshippers begging for more with a weekend of music and dance.

Nearly 10,000 people descended on the Purbeck town from Friday to Sunday, lured by the 46 dance acts and over 20 bands from across the country.

Amid the stalls selling jewellery, Shiatsu massages, reflexology and toggle tops, in the Sandpit Field, adults mingled while their children begged for more time.

As usual there was something for everyone. The Bill Jones Trio got things moving on Friday in the Sandpit marquee.

On Saturday The Lucy Lastic Band wound the crowd up with their Ceilidh tunes, while the popular Pauline Cato and Tom McConville were performing their own rare brand of folk at Swanage Middle School.

The afternoon procession featured dance acts which ranged from belly dancing to Slovakian dancing, to the archetypically English Morris dancing.

They made their way from Prince Albert Gardens down the High Street to finish on the seafront, before thousands of holidaymakers and locals, out to bask in the last of the summer sun.

Traders were the happiest of the lot, getting the chance to sell the last of their wares before the autumn begins, while joint organisers Swanage Town Council, Purbeck District Council and the Association of Festival Organisers could afford to sit back and enjoy the crowds.

One man who may have witnessed his final festival was the organisers' committee chairman and Poole High School teacher, Phil Valentine, who is moving to North Wales. In his five-year involvement as chairman, he has seen the festival grow to near capacity size.

"It started off as a very small dance festival and grew rapidly but it can't get any bigger because the town couldn't cope. It cost about £13,000 to put on this year.

"It's great to extend the season that little bit longer which is why we hold the festival on the second weekend after bank holiday."