DROVES of “little monsters” and their parents flocked to spend an afternoon in the sun at a fun filled festival.

The Little Monsters Bash saw a bumper first year as nearly 3,000 children and adults passed through the gates for a day of food and festivities.

Held at Brighton’s Stanmer Park, on Saturday, the programme of family-friendly acts included children’s television stars Dick and Dom, CBeebies star Alex Winters and the character Peppa Pig.

The bash is a festival aimed exclusively at little festival goers aged up to 10-years-old and their families and is organised by Rise Events in aid of the Tree of Hope children’s charity.

Tree of Hope helps the families of sick and disabled children in the UK who need specialist medical treatment.

Teresa Gillan, event organiser, said despite a few long queues for catering, the event had gone “brilliantly”.

She said: “The acts have been amazing. Dick and Dom went down a storm and up to 3,000 people have come along.

“Dick and Dom have loved it. They loved coming to Brighton. They were pleased to be part of it and the kids loved them.

“The queues were quite long at times but this is our first event and we did not expect so many people – but the overview is people have said they have had a fantastic time.”

The ticketed Little Monsters Bash is partnered with Blossom for Children, which hosts fun activities for children with special needs.

The event concluded with a gigantic sing-along from the Disney hit film Frozen.

Ms Gillan said: “We had Peppa Pig, Titan the Robot and Greg Foot, the science presenter, and we ended the show with a big sing along of Let It Go from Frozen.

“All the profits from the event are going to the Tree of Hope, every single penny.

“We have been so lucky – it was bright and sunny all day long.

“The adults loved it as well.”

The organisers hope to run the one-day event again next year and Ms Gillan said she wanted the show to get “bigger and better”.

For more information about Tree of Hope visit www.treeofhope.org.uk and for information on Blossom for Children go to www.blossomforchildren.co.uk.