SUN Hill Infant School in Alresford celebrated its 50th birthday with a day of sunshine and fun.

The golden celebrations were marked by a 1960-style festival fun day which was open to past and present pupils, staff, and the whole community of Alresford.

The day began with a ‘Wonderful Wheels’ procession featuring creatively decorated bicycles, scooters, wheelbarrows and shopping trolleys, while a fire engine from Alresford fire station and a beautifully decorated Citroen 2CV in the school colours of green and yellow led the way from Stratton Bates to Sun Hill.

There was then the opportunity to enjoy pony rides, a petting farm, circus skills with Juggling Jake, football fun, a coconut shy, camp fires and pond dipping in the grounds of the school.

Inside, festivalgoers could create some ‘golden’ bunting helped by Sip and Stitch and flower crowns with the Alresford Flower Club while the day also featured a workshop by Drama Beasts, a model railway exhibition, and toys from the 1960s.

Entertainment was provided courtesy of an open-mic session featuring past pupils and the energetic Alresford Ukelele Jam.

A display of photographs from the time when the school moved up from The Dean School proved popular, as did a Golden Tree of Relations connecting families over the years.

A successful and eventful disco ended the day, with its amazing light show from the storm that engulfed Alresford as well as the hall floor!

On April 23, the school hosted past pupil David Carr, who had gone on to make a name for himself in sailing, being part of the team that won the America’s Cup in 2012-13.

David cut the ribbon on some magnificent ‘golden’ gates that had been commissioned from blacksmith Sam Bailey and paid for by businesses, groups and individuals in the community.

The children of Sun Hill had worked with Sam on the design and there were some delightful representations of the logos representing groups in the community.

The first people to walk through the ‘Golden Gates’ were the first caretaker, Bill Smith, one of the first pupils from 1968, Tracy Reilly (Purkiss), and the oldest child in the current school.

The day ended with a party for the children with each pupil and member of staff being given a golden anniversary mug by the Friends of Sun Hill.