THOUSANDS of visitors came along to the Contemporary Craft event at Salisbury Cathedral.

The event ran on Friday and Saturday and featured about stalls selling contemporary crafts from across the south west and beyond and hands-on activities.

Sarah Rickett, the director of outreach and learning at Salisbury Cathedral, said: “This year was a bit of an experiment, seeing if it would work as a free event within the Cathedral - and the signs are good so far. Despite the rain around 4,000 people came to look and buy, or to take part. We have had a lot of positive feedback from visitors and stallholders about the location, particularly the Cloisters which seem to be a big hit.

“The Stonemasons Challenge was well received too and the masons enjoyed the challenge of working outside their comfort zone, creating something new. We even sold three of the pieces on the Saturday.”